Observer
by HolyOrdersOtaku
Summary: Weiss is caught in a temporal loop, and has been for a very long time without anyone knowing. She's long since given up on breaking the chains of her fate, and has chosen to spectate instead. Penny thinks that she can save Weiss, however, and begins to hunt for her in the multiverse. M for language. Sequel to The Longest Night and Eternity Rising. Part 3 of the Shifting Remnant AU.
1. Prologue: Only

_Sequel to "The Longest Night" and "Eternity Rising"_

 _Please read those first._

* * *

Prologue: Only

Weiss was tired. She could claim that she was tired from endlessly fighting Grimm, but it wouldn't be accurate. She sighed, and went about her business; organizing Beacon's supplied for the war against the Grimm. Someday soon, the survivors would call it _The Longest Night_ , and they had no idea how accurate they were. This truly was the longest nightmare for Weiss. Except that it stopped frightening her quite a long time ago. Now, she no longer felt vulnerable, or like she was doomed.

Instead, she felt like an actress on a stage who was growing bored of performing the same play every night, but even with the re-writes she couldn't enjoy her part to the fullest. All the same, she had a part to play, and she played it perfectly for every single showing. "Hey!" she shouted, sounding as though she actually cared about her task. "That's not supposed to go there! That goes on the other side! Don't back talk me, just do it!" She sighed. _Every time. I know this song and dance, yet still I must perform._

"Hey, Weiss!" came the voice of Luna Fey from behind. Weiss wasn't supposed to have met her before, so she feigned ignorance. "Oh, hello...you're the leader of team LNAR, correct?"

"Yep," Luna said. Her silky, black hair looked just as beautiful as ever, and her blue jacket hadn't been worn with holes or blood stains yet. "Just wanted to report that teams LNAR and JNPR have returned from the city with extra supplies. It's all in the airship."

Weiss looked over, half expecting Roman to be standing next to a Bullhead. _He's not here this time_ , she reminded herself when she saw a civilian pilot exiting a small airship that was somewhat larger than a Bullhead. "Right." She turned. "Hey, Yang!"

"Yeah?" the blonde brawler replied from halfway across the courtyard. She was completely healthy, and carried a large box of bottled water. "What's up?"

"Go to the airship and help them unload. They've brought more supplies."

"I'm on it. Yatsuhashi, Sky, follow me." She grabbed the two boys, and off they went.

Weiss feigned a smile for the sake of appearances as she turned to Luna. "You and your team must be exhausted. You should rest up."

"Yeah," Luna said with a laugh. "I'll see you around, Weiss." _You may die soon_ , Weiss thought coldly.

She sighed. _I'm tired. So...so very tired._ She looked up to the sky and saw the trigger to the world's calamity; the Harbinger comet. How many times had it come and gone for her? How long had it been since it first appeared _this_ time? She thought for a moment to recall exactly when it had shown up. _Four months ago_ , she remembered. _Two more months and the comet will pass._ She nodded. These things had moved like clockwork in her mind. Easily predicted to her and her alone, she acted as though nothing was out of the ordinary.

Turning on her heel, she made her way out of the courtyard. She needed a break. A break from everything. The sound of an airship caught her attention. Looking up, she saw an Atlesian warship flying towards Beacon; smoke billowed from its engines. _A new possibility?_ she thought curiously.

"What's going on?" Yang asked as she approached Weiss. "Ew. That doesn't look good," she noted as the two watched the ship fly at an incredible speed.

Weiss idly pulled out her Scroll and opened it, tuning in to the radio chatter of the ship.

 _"This is General James Ironwood on the Atlesian Carrier: Sanctus!"_ came a frantic voice. _"Beacon! Do you hear me? We've come under attack! A flock of Nevermores is on our tale and we can't control the ship! Helm control is offline! We're on a collision course with the accademy! Evacuate! I repeat! Evacuate!"_

Yang's eyes went wide. "Oh, shit!" Weiss looked up from her Scroll and saw them; an army of Nevermores. Leading them was the largest Nevermore that anyone had ever seen. Except that she'd seen it in another of the possibilities. _Hello again, Nidhogg. You've left Atlas, I see_. She smiled. _This ending will be different it seems, even if only a little bit._

She turned around and raised her voice. "Everyone clear the area, _right now~!"_ She turned to Yang and said, "Go!"

"I'm not leaving you, Weiss!"

"I know you're not! I'll be behind you. Right now we need to get everyone out of here!"

"R-right!" She ran and did as Weiss had instructed.

Weiss turned and drew Myrtenaster and glared at Nidhogg. "Just once, I'd like to kill you," she muttered. With a disturbed smile, she readied her weapon. "I'll personally kill all of you Master Units at least once!" A glyph appeared around her feet; it was a glyph that none of her team mates had ever seen her use before. "Summoning Besti-Arma: Ouroboros!"

The glyph grew to cover the entire courtyard, sending her fellow students into a panic. If she lived, she'd have to explain what she'd done. But it wouldn't matter in the long run. She'd die, and this possibility would cease to exist. A symbol of a snake appeared, and a giant, frost colored serpent materialized from the glyph. The Schnee crest burned a bright white on its forehead; this was Weiss's true semblance. She had summoned the Grimm Master Unit: Ouroboros, Lord King Taijitu. She smiled. _It's been a long time since I've killed Ouroboros. I'm glad his spirit transcends reality...just like me._

Nidhogg roared at the sight of Ouroboros. "Burn!" it screamed as fire jetted out of its massive maw. The giant snake coiled around Weiss and blocked the flames until they died away.

Ouroboros turned to look at Weiss. "You actually summoned me, you _witch_." It glanced around. "I thought I destroyed Beacon. Why does it still stand?"

"We can talk _later_ , Ouroboros. You have a task at hand. Help me kill Nidhogg."

"I do not wish to do as you say, witch." Ouroboros pondered for a moment. "Yet I can't resist you. Very well. I'll feed off of your ambition and destroy the beast."

Weiss smiled. "I'll even _let_ you kill me when this is done. Call it a present." She pointed Myrtenaster to the sky. "Now go! We have a dragon to slay!"

* * *

A small session of the Shifted Council was in session. Thirty or so representatives were present, and were discussing basic, generic policies of no great importance. Lia was bored and wished to retire for the day, but she had no choice but to stay. As such, it came to her as a pleasant surprise when she saw Penny suddenly Shift into the center of the room. The rainbow flames erupted from nothing, and the sound of space being torn open popped and echoed throughout the chamber. Penny looked directly at Lia with anger in her eyes. "I've figured it out," she said. No context, no hints. Just _I've figured it out_.

Lia was confused for a moment before it clicked. She stood. "All present but those of my inner circle, please return to your worlds. We have something to discuss in private." Uncertain glances were passed back and forth before the Shifters began to "pop" and Shift away.

Arletha, Valentine, Fortis, Lucia, Rose, and the talking cat Felix were all that were left, aside from Penny herself. "What have you found?" Lia asked.

Penny nodded and closed her eyes. A magical hologram appeared, displaying the formula for Crim's Temporal Causality of Predetermined Phenomenon spell. "This is the spell that Crim used over ten thousand years ago on himself after the first Devastation. From what I've heard, as this is ten thousand years older than I am, he did so as a precaution that Fear, the Devastation's creator, was still alive and would unleash it again. He repeated the last ten thousand years over one billion times before he found this timeline; the timeline where Lia destroyed Fear and saved the universe. Correct?"

"Yes," Lia agreed. "He said as much when he declared war on us over a hundred years ago."

The hologram changed. "This is _my_ formula for the same spell: a more perfect Causality." She looked Lia in the eyes. "If I can find Weiss, I can use my own, reverse engineered form of the spell to free her of her time loop."

"The problem," Alretha chimed. "Is that even with our vast knowledge of the Cauldron and the magic therein, we can't observe other realms say for those pocket diminsions that we create. Your little prison for Crim, for example. What did you call it?"

"The Backyard," Penny answered.

"We can make our own private space. Only with the discovery of the Cycle did we find out that there is, in fact, a Multiverse. We know nothing about how to reach these other universes."

"Well," Fortis began with a smile. "Assuming there are infinite universes out there, there are over a billion that no longer exist. That's one billion that we don't have to worry about."

"Except possibilities are endless," Penny said. With every passing second, a new universe is born." She smiled. "But I've discovered how to observe and travel to these other universes."

"How!?" Fortis cried, choking on his own saliva.

"The Cauldron. It's more than just the source of all magic. It's also the space in between universes. It's a vast sea, and the other universes are islands."

"Okay," Lia said. "So we _know_ that we can access these...islands. But the problem with islands is that we don't always know where they are in the ocean. How would you navigate that endless sea?"

Penny changed the hologram once more; an image of an endless maze appeared. "This is the biggest problem. The part of the Cauldron where you can find the access points that I must go to is what I call Labyrinthus: The Endless Maze. It is virtually impossible to navigate. And even if I did fall through a pocket in Labyrinthus, I'd still have to find Remnant. If it was the wrong Remnant, then I'd have to start all over."

"How could you have the 'wrong' Remnant?" Rose asked. "Assuming you found another Remnant, all you'd have to do is find Weiss, correct?"

"It's not that easy," Penny said. She looked to Lia. "Would you care to explain?"

Lia nodded. "The Temporal Causality of Predetermined Phenomenon is a very unique, world altering spell. It's almost as powerful as the Devastation. It _erases_ every iteration of your existence and leaves you with just one version; the _current_ you. Should that version die, a new world is born, and you are born with it starting from the time that the spell was placed upon you." She closed her eyes. "I am the only Lia Merca Locke to exist in the entire Multiverse because of this."

"How do we know that?" Valentine asked.

"It's written into the formula," Penney said. She pointed at the middle of a new hologram, and everyone saw the same equation.

∞ = 1

"Infinity is equal to One. This part of the spell cancels out all existence of any other version of the target say for the immediate version, but allows that singular iteration to persist, even when it is destroyed," Penny explained. "That's why they retain the memories of their 'failed' lives. They are the exact same individual." She sighed. "So, it's not a matter of just finding a Remnant. I have to find the _correct_ Remnant. The only Remnant where Weiss is still alive."

The room went somber. "Do you realize the odds of finding her?" Rose asked.

Penny turned to her. "I'm a machine, Rose. You don't want to hear how big that number is."

"Right," Rose said with a nod. She really, _really_ , didn't want to know.

"I can make the trip _easier_ by starting on my Remnant. From there, I'll only have to sift through the other Remnants instead of the entire universe," Penny continued.

Arletha hung her head low. "I suppose its a good thing that we live forever, isn't it?"

"Wait," Lucia interrupted. "You're not serious, are you? You're going to jump into the Cauldron, specifically an un-mapped, newly discovered _fragment_ of the Cauldron, and swim around until you find _one_ instance of something?"

Penny nodded. "A universally scaled _needle in a haystack_ , as it were."

Lucia shook her head. "Even if you _could_ do this, this has _got_ to be a transgression on the Law of No Interference. What if there's a Salvation in whatever universe you go to? Someone will detect a foreign body, I'm sure. If a Shifter from another universe came to _my_ universe, I'd have a few questions to ask."

"I am aware of the risks," Penny turned to Lia. "You know why I'm here, Lia."

"You've come to get permission," she answered. She smiled. "But you plan to go anyway, with or without my approval."

"Weiss was... _is_ my friend. She deserves to live in the afterlife with her friends and loved ones." Here green eyes were aflame with determination. "Yes, I intend to do this, one way or another."

"Very well. If you intend to do this, it may as well be with my blessing."

"Lady Lia!" Valentine challenged.

She raised a hand to silence him. "If you cause any issue, I'm afraid Salvation will sever you. We can't have an trans-universal war on our hands, after all."

"I understand," Penny said.

"And I hate for you to go alone. You should take a partner. That way, I won't worry so much."

"Can I go?" Rose Gordon asked as she stepped forward.

Lia looked between Rose and Penny. "Do you allow this?" she asked the robot girl.

Penny thought hard for a moment. "If she really wants to come with me, I won't stop her. I suppose...I could use the company."

"As of now, until you return successfully, you are no longer a part of Salvation," Lia announced. She added in a softer tone, "Please. Don't fail."

The two girls nodded and left the chamber by foot. They had some preparations to make before they could dive into the Labyrinthus. Penny glanced over to Rose and smiled. She was barely older than Ruby when she became a Shifter, and she came from a completely different background, but Penny could draw several visual parallels.

Rose Gordon had jet black hair, wore black trousers, and a pair of low top sneakers. Her top consisted of a black tank top, a loose fitted long sleeve shirt with red cuffs, and a red hoodie vest that she let hang loosely around her torso. At her legs were a pair of longslide semi-automatic pistols; custom ordered 1911's is what she called them, but gave them no name. On her cheek was a black tattoo of a rose; when Penny had asked about it a hundred years ago, Rose said had explained it to her in a sad tone.

 _The Dark family is from Eden. I was saved, and trained, by Darkstar. You know Rune; his name is actually Darkrune. He's Darkstar's ancestor. Well, the Dark family grants their kinsmen a tattoo of their namesake. Darkstar had a star tattooed on his chest. Darkstar and I fell in love right before the Battle for Purgatory. He died and left me his scythe. When the battle ended, I discovered that the trauma had Awakened me. I got the tattoo to honor my would be husband. That's why they call me Black Rose..._

 _Because I never got to be Darkrose._

Penny spotted a magic circle tattooed on the back of Rose's right hand: it was a seal designed to summon the scythe that Darkstar had given her. "I know why you volunteered," Penny said after a time.

Rose nodded. "If I had the chance to save Darkstar, I'd do anything to take it," she said. She turned to face Penny with a smile. "You never introduced me to Weiss when she lived in our Universe. I look forward to it."

"As do I," Penny agreed. _I'll save you, Weiss. I promise._

* * *

Beacon was on fire. Nidhogg had turned to attack the _Sanctus_ once again and dealt the killing blow to the airship. The engines exploded, and the whole ship fell from the sky and crash landed on top of Beacon. Weiss was standing on top of Ouroboros's massive head when the vessel landed violently with an explosion. Weiss had shielded herself with her glyphs. When the dust settled, she choked on the smoke. "Ouroboros, use your sense of smell and tell me who's still alive," she ordered.

The snake paused. "None are left, witch. You are the one and only."

 _I'm the only one here, eh?_ she thought. A demented smile spread across her lips. "It doesn't matter! They've all died countless times! What's one more failed timeline amidst millions! That just means the battlefield is free for us to wreak havoc!"

She could feel Ouroboros's consciousness grow confused. "You've changed, witch. You're a different person from the time you killed me. How long has it been?"

"I killed you three months from now from this world's perspective," she said quizzically. "But from my point of view, it's been a couple thousand years. Don't worry about the small details."

"Doesn't sound small to me, witch."

"Spit your venom, Ouroboros. I'll use my glyphs to freeze it and turn it into a missile." Obeying her command, Ouroboros gave a deep, guttural hiss before a glob of acidic venom launched from its throat. A series of glyphs appeared before it: the first accelerated the venom, the second shaped it into a point, the third froze it, and the fourth and fifth accelerated it again, launching it at near supersonic speeds towards the massive, dragon like Nidhogg.

The javeline of venom rocketed towards her foe. _Yes!_ she thought. _I'll finally have killed another of you bastards!_ Closer and closer it became. _Yes! Yes! Yes!_

Nidhogg flipped and barrelrolled out of the way with such ease that Weiss didn't expect it to be able to move its massive body in such a way. "God damn it!" she cried.

"A valiant effort, witch. But Nidhogg is too agile, it seems."

She pointed her sword at Nidhogg. "I swear, I will fucking kill you! In one iteration, only one, _I will kill you_! I swear!"

Nidhogg stared at her with empty, dark, soulless eyes. "Burn," it said, launching a trail of fire at her.

"Witch, we must move."

"Stay, Ouroboros!" she commanded. The snake could not disobey.

"If we don't move, we'll die!"

"You are already dead, Ouroboros," Weiss said as the flames grew larger and larger. "What's one more death to me." She frowned. "It's been a while since I last burned to death. I remember it being...unpleasant." Closing her eyes, she spread her arms and waited for the burning impact.

When it came, Ouroboros and she both burst into explosive flames. She screamed in pain, her vocal chords tearing with the ferocity with which her death howls came. Her flesh charred and peeled. "Fu~~~ck you~~!" she yelled through her screams. Her clothes burned off, leaving her body naked.

Ouroboros burst, exploding into millions of white fragments. Weiss fell, burning still, and landed on the ground with a hard _thud_ cracking her skull on a rock...

Weiss opened her eyes. Above her was Ruby's poor excuse of a bunk bed, held up by rope. _I failed_ , she thought. _I'll try again the next time I see him. What's another life out of millions to me?_ She raised her head from her pillow and saw the rest of team RWBY, still alive.

"Wake up, Weiss," Ruby said cheerfully. "We've got class today!"

Weiss nodded. _I've told this lie so many times,_ she thought just before she said, "I don't feel so good. I think I'll stay here today."

"What's wrong?" Ruby asked, suddenly concerned.

Weiss, well practiced by now, acted as though she had a migraine. "My head hurts. I feel like I'm gonna puke."

"Do you need one of use to stay with you?"

Weiss shot Ruby a dark glance. "No, you dunce! I've seen your grades! You need every second of class time you can get!"

"B-but..."

"She's right," Blake added. "Let's get going."

"We'll come check on during our break, okay?"

"That's fine," Weiss said. _They always believe my lies...I've gotten too accustomed to lying._ "Make sure they take notes, Blake!"

"Got it," the cat faunus said as the three of them left the room.

Weiss nodded. In her millions upon millions of lifetimes, this most recent one was the first time she'd ever summoned Ouroboros. Ouroboros, the Master Unit King Taijitu, was a unique beast in the sense that it was sentient and its spirit could talk to her. She smiled, an idea crossing her mind. She sat at her desk and called forth a small summoning glyph.

A miniature version of Ouroboros appeared. It looked around, feeling confused. _I can sense what he feels_ , she noted with a smile. "What happened?" it asked. "We were burning, and now..."

"So, you're memory is linked to mine," she observed. She smiled wider. "Ouroboros, this Possibility just became a lot more interesting."

* * *

 _Song: Only-Nine Inch Nails_

 **Author's Notes**

Imagine the ramifications: Ruby _and_ Weiss were under the same curse during _The Longest Night,_ but Weiss was completely under the Cycle's influence, and had been cursed long before Ruby ever was. She'd become so accustomed to the rise of the Harbinger comet, that she's forced to act as though her true self were a character in a play, pretending to be devastated by the deaths of her friends, and afraid of her own fate...

But she's used to it. She's gone through millions of iterations...millions of Possibility's as she calls them, and she's opted to mostly act as an observer unless told to do otherwise by Ruby...mostly.

So, to pass her seemingly infinite time, she grows in strength and fights the Master Units: the Commander Grimm: Cerberus, Nidhogg, Ouroboros, Calydonian, Scorpius, and Callisto.

So far, it seems she's only killed Ouroboros...

And now, Penny is searching for her! To break the curse and let her die a true death so that she may rest for all eternity!

I guess I just won't let my **Shifting Remnant AU** stop...I'm sorry, I suppose.

Fun Fact: I worked a 12 hour shift the other night. 4pm to 4am. I hated every second of it.

Till next time!


	2. Chapter 1: Riders on the Storm

Chapter 1: Riders on the Storm

"You're sure about this?" Neo asked her superior as the four women strode down the hallways of Beacon. "What if something happens and you get lost in this...this..."

"Labyrithus," Penny reminded her.

"That. If you get lost in the Labyrithus, you won't be able to come back, will you?"

"That's a risk we have to take," Rose chimed. "Penny's determined to save Weiss from the Causality spell."

The fourth person shook her head. "To think such an ability exists..."

Penny smiled. "There's alot outside of Remnant that you don't understand, Garnet," she said calmly. "That's why Salvation exists. To make sure that the average person never has to deal with such cosmic problems.

The fourth woman was barely taller than Neo, and looked almost like a clone of Ruby, but with streaks of silver in her raven black hair, and eyes of a piercing azure. Unlike her great grandmother, she didn't wear a cloak. In her youth she had, and even though she was just as excitable as her ancestor, she'd developed a strong sort of professionalism over the years. She was dressed in a black suit, with a maroon dress shirt and a black tie. As likable as she was, she looked every bit as serious as she was right now. "Keep in mind, Penny; you may be a part of our families, but _I'm_ the headmaster of this school. I have to take into account all the possibilities. What if your portal works both ways and things from the _failed_ Remnants start to leak through."

Penny sighed. "You know about _The Longest Night_?"

"Great grandma told me about it. About how she had thought it was a dream, but it was a memory of a failed life. What if one of those timelines enters _our_ Remnant; the only Remnant where we never saw the comet?"

Rose cleared her throat. "Penny's calculations are nearly flawless. Only she can activate the portal. Nothing can come or go without being white listed by her."

Garnet sighed and shook her head. "I sincerely hope you're right."

"Worst case, you can call the rest of team KING, right?"

"I'd like to avoid asking for Kuroi, Ignis, and Nox to take time out of their busy lives just because this _plan_ went wrong." She frowned. "I wonder what great grandma would've thought about me not becoming a team leader?"

"You became the headmaster of Beacon," Neo said with a smile. "She'd be proud of you no matter what, Garnet."

During the conversation, the four of them had entered an elevator and started going down. Garnet crossed her arms. "Look, I get it: you two are gods compared to the rest of us. Even Neo can't match either of you. I know you mean well, Penny, but it's my job to protect the people when you aren't here. I'm one of the Black Wings, after all. Qrow and Raven may have founded it over a hundred years ago, but now _I'm_ here to do the job, and its not a job I thoroughly enjoy doing. Just...please don't make it any harder."

The elevator stopped. A female mechanical voice came over the speakers. "Restricted area. Unauthorized individuals detected. Please provide credentials."

"Garnet: Authorization Gamma-3 Murakumo. Zero-Five-Five."

"ACCESS GRANTED"

Penny felt her gut form a pit; a sensation she completely forgot existed. "How do you know Murakumo?" she asked.

Garnet smiled. "Welcome to Gamma Site, Penny." The doors opened, and Penny came face to face with a laboratory that looked eerily familiar. "I imagine it looks alot like Lambda Site. Isn't that where you were born?"

Penny loved Garnet. She'd seen her grow up from a small child into the head master of Beacon. But now...she was suspicious. "Answer me, Garnet. _How do you know Murakumo?_ "

"I did my research, Penny. Most of it was erased apparently, but I found some lingering data amongst the ruins here. It was abandoned in a hurry and locked away. It's even deeper than the Vault. There's a holding area that has a shaft that leads straight to Remnant's mantle. The magma there is what powers this site, and even some of Beacon above." She turned to face Penny. "Apparently, they only succeeded in building three Murakumos. Of those three, the only known survivor is you, Penny. Unit Eleven; Lambda."

Penny looked around the room cautiously. "That's supposed to be classified."

"I only found it by accident, of course," Garnet continued. "And now that you're basically a god, you have nothing to fear. I couldn't use this information against you even if I wanted to. And trust me, I don't. I do love you. You're like my aunt, or god mother." She smiled. "But, the reason I brought you here is because you said you needed somewhere to access the Cauldron from Remnant, correct?"

"Yes."

"Well, seeing as how I'm no magic user, I couldn't begin to tell you where to find a good access point for the Cauldron. But then I remembered something you told me once as a child. Each world is a living, breathing being. Each makes its own choices for self preservation, and each has a connection to the Cauldron. By that thinking, a planet's 'soul' would be its core. So, here, in Gamma, we have access to the mantle; the closest to the core that you'll ever get." Garnet crossed her arms and smiled a proud smile; her childish tendencies were showing. "So, what do you think? As good a place as any for you two to do your magic!"

"As creepy as this place is," Rose said. "I can't help but agree. This is a good place to try and link with the Cauldron, and connect with the Labyrinthus." Penny nodded. She started to walk. "Where are you going?"

"Where Unit Gamma was going to be born. Her sarcophagus would be above the mantle. That chamber will be where we link." She paused and turned to Garnet. "Please...don't ever call me Lambda again."

Garnet was taken by surprise. "Oh...I'm...I'm sorry. I was just sort of showing you how much I learned about this place. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings."

"I chose this name to try and be more human," Penny went on. "Lambda died the same day she was born." She turned to Neo. _She doesn't remember, either,_ she thought. "We'll be departing soon. Please, don't follow us. The portal may try to suck the two of you in as well."

Neo nodded. "Good luck."

Penny and Rose gave their farewells and entered the chamber with the marker γ; Gamma. The chamber was dark, say for a faint orange glow coming from a circular hole in the center of the floor. Standing over it, Penny saw the molten rock below. She looked around, feeling a creepy sense of nostalgia. "Gamma was going to be born here," she said aloud. "My sister was almost born here."

"You okay?" Rose asked.

"Yeah," Penny answered quickly. "I'm fine. Let's do this." The two girls stood opposite from each other across the hole. "Connecting to the Cauldron..."

"Soul output rising," Rose said, and a silvery purple magical aura began to glow around the two of them. "Whoa," Rose said allowed. "You feel that?"

"Yeah," Penny said. "I can feel all the dead souls that are fueling the magic of Remnant...but there's far too many to be from a single planet."

"It's the Causality spell," Rose added. "All those who died on the failed Remnants are being dumped into the same place."

"If someone were to discover how to cast magic on Remnant, they'd become the most powerful mage in the Universe," Penny grew worried. "We need to hurry and save Weiss before she dies and creates another failed Remnant."

"Connecting to the Labyrithus," the two said simultaneously."

Rose closed her eyes and gasped. "It's...so beautiful." In her mind's eye, she could see millions upon millions of bright, shining lights; each one representing a different version of Remnant. "But, they all look alike. How will we find ours again?"

"I've got that covered," Penny said. "I've enchanted the Neo from this world to emit a magical signature identical to my own. Assuming I'm the only Penny in the multiverse that's a Shifter, that's a good way to find home."

"And you awakened in other worlds?"

"Trial and error. We've got all the time in the world." She smiled. "Where should we start?"

"How about...here?" Rose asked. The two were mentally linked during the incantation, so Penny could see where she was _pointing_.

"Alright. There it is. Initiating transfer."

"Will it be like Shifting? Rainbow flames, euphoria, all that?"

"I honestly don't know," Penny said. "Let's go." A ball of bright rainbow light formed between them and engulfed them both. Penny hoped that it would feel like a normal Shift.

Now she realized that if she'd had a stomach, she would have puked.

* * *

Garnet and Neo both heard the teleportation spell fire off, and they both knew that the two women were gone from this Universe. "I suppose we should return to our duties," Neo said. She gave Garnet a brief hug. "I'll see you soon." With that, she turned to leave via the elevator.

Garnet wasn't ready to leave yet. When the doors closed and the elevator began its ascension, she sighed. She went into the chamber where Penny and Rose had just been a few moments before, caught off guard by the sight.

In the center of the room was a sphere that emitted every color of the rainbow. _Damn it!_ she thought. _The portal is still open!_ _It was supposed to close! What if something comes through...something like Cerberus!_ She remembered Ruby tell the story of her dream, and how frightening Cerberus was. Garnet couldn't risk it.

"Come!" she shouted.

The door behind her opened, and a nude girl, shorter than Garnet, entered the room. Her hair was solid silver, and her eyes were bright orange. "You requested my presence, Madam?"

"Yes," Garnet said. "I need you to get dressed and prepare your combat protocols, Gamma." She turned to face the nude girl, who had a tattoo of γ just above her genitals. "Guard this room. If anything that isn't Penny, Rose, or Weiss comes through, destroy it."

* * *

Weiss stood atop the roof of her dorm building. Ouroboros rested on the ground beside here. Now he was the size of a normal snake, though he was still several times smaller than normal. "I see," he said in a deep, hissing voice. "You've been stuck repeating your life over and over, doomed to die and start again on the same day."

"The beginning is always the same," she added. "The rest of the story changes ever so slightly. Only a few times can I remember surviving this war against the Grimm. And only once did it not happen at all. That one time, I died of cancer in my seventies. I raised a family and everything." She laughed a cold laugh. "That time, I honestly thought that it was over. Then I woke up in my bed again, just like I always do."

"Have you tried to fix it? To break this loop?"

"I can't. The first few thousand times, I told everyone I could what was going to happen. Many iterations people thought I was crazy. In one iteration, I got so frantic that I slit my own throat with Myrtenaster, hoping it was all a nightmare. Then I woke up in my bed again." She smiled. "I've gotten used to it by now."

"How old are you?"

"I'm supposed to be seventeen...but, if I've done the math correctly, I'm about one million, four hundred twenty-seven thousand, six hundred fifty-five years old. Or is it six hundred fifty-six? I don't know. I lost count somewhere along the way. I actually held up hope a lot longer than most, I think. It wasn't until about two hundred thousand that I stopped trying to do anything."

"So, you've given up?" Ouroboros asked. "You're going to just _accept_ that you're going to live forever like this?"

"I don't live forever," she corrected. "I die every single time. I just get to start over every single time. It's a sick game of death and reincarnation, excepts its always with the same body." She looked up to the sky. "Tomorrow, the comet arrives. No one will know what will happen except for me."

"What comet would that be?" came a male voice that she didn't expect, but it didn't surprise her too much.

"Hello, you shiftless bastard," Weiss said casually.

Ozpin approached and stood beside her. "That was uncharacteristically rude of you, Miss Schnee."

"I lost my patience quite some time ago, Ozpin." She stared at him for a moment. "It's almost easy to forget how _young_ you are."

"Me? Young?"

"I'd believe her if I were you," Ouroboros chimed.

Ozpin stared at it in wonder for a moment. "Is that an Ouroboros? There's only ever been one to exist, and that was..."

"Ten thousand years ago from your point of view; the last time the comet arrived."

"So," Ozpin said after a moment of silence. "You mean _that_ comet. How do you know of its existence?"

"I'm tired of explaining it to everyone, Ozpin. Hell, the one hundred thousand times that Ruby was cursed and took up that mantle was actually pretty relaxing. Less pressure on me. I'm stuck, Ozpin. We're all going to die, and I'm the only one who will remember when I wake up. Ouroboros here died about six months from now by my hands...about two thousand years ago to me. Or was it three?"

"All I remember is that you decapitated me," Ouroboros said coldly.

Ozpin stared incredulously at Weiss. "I see...so, you know..."

"I know that you're near omnipotence, and that you can travel the known universe. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone. Since you seem to want to not do anything and let the world die, that's what I'll do too." Weiss said suddenly.

"You sound cold, Miss Schnee," Ozpin said in a low voice. "If you know all of this, why don't _you_ save the world?"

"Been there. Done that. Died a few times in the process." She looked up to the sky. "I've taken a spectator seat. I've been observing the world for quite some time, trying to rest. I've only been fighting the Master Units. If I really wanted to, I could eradicate all of the Grimm in four months. But that's boring. Too boring. I've done everything. Literally, everything. Now...I think its time I do _nothing._ "

"That almost sounds hypocritical."

"It is," Weiss agreed. "Except, unlike you, I don't sound self righteous when I do it." She turned and walked towards the door. "Let's go, Ouroboros. I'm tired of waiting."

"What are you going to do?" the snake asked as it slithered behind her.

"I'm bored. Haven't been laid in a few thousand years. Guess I'll do that." She left the roof, snake in tow, and left Ozpin stunned.

"Just yesterday, she was a normal girl, and now today she's...ancient. I could see it in her eyes. She's really looping through time, and today must be the first day in the loop." He pondered the thought for a moment. "What needs to be done?"

* * *

Everything that ever existed was spinning violently around the two women. They felt as though their very beings were being pulled and shoved in every direction, their sense of up and down completely thrown off by a changing sense of gravity. Traveling between universes was the single most unpleasant thing either of them have ever done.

When suddenly it stopped. The two of them were standing in Gamma just like they were moments ago. No portal before them, only the room and the hole leading to the core. Penny looked around. "Well...that wasn't so ba-"

Rose interrupted her by doubling over the hole in the floor and puked violently. The gagging and regurgitation was disgusting to Penny's ears, and she was thankful that she didn't have a stomach. "Don't...you dare...finish that statement," Rose said in between gags.

"Okay," Penny said with a sympathetic smile. "I was lying. That was awful."

Rose stood up, wiping her chin with her wrist. "So, are we in another world? Or is this still you're Remnant?"

Penny shrugged before closing her eyes. "I can't detect Neo here. It must be a different place." The two of them left the room and found the elevator. "Only one way to find out." The two of them entered the elevator and started to ascend, the whole while they could hear the steel strain to move them.

"Sounds like its in disrepair," Rose said.

"Maybe Beacon is in ruins above us," Penny chimed. "The _Longest Night_ war happened in almost every universe, apparently."

Rose was about to comment when they heard the cable snap. "Oh shit!" she cried as the elevator began to drop. Penny grabbed Rose and deployed her blade. She cut a hole through the roof and leaped upwards, shooting a sword to the top of the shaft and embedding it into the wall. Slowly, she began to pull the two of them up and out. "You know...I actually forgot that you can do that."

"You also know a flying spell," Penny pointed out. Rose blushed, embarrassed that she'd forgotten such a detail.

They reached the top and found it blocked by rubble. Using their magic, the two girls cleared a path and exited into the outside world.

An ear splitting screech reached their ears. The two of them looked around. An airship was crashed into the school, and there still burned several fires. Penny spotted a broken sword hilt; it looked similar to Myrtenaster. "Damn it!" she shouted. "Weiss may be dead here."

"I think we've got much bigger problems," Rose said fearfully, pointing into the sky.

Penny followed her gaze, and her eyes widened. A giant, scaled beast flapped its massive wings in the sky. The head alone was larger than a bus, and the body was like a small airship. It almost looked like a Nevermore, but it held no feathers. It landed atop the wreckage of the airship and glared at them. "You smell...foreign." it said.

"Penny...the dragon-bird spoke. The dragon-bird spoke! Why did the dragon-bird speak?"

Penny glared at it. "It's a commander Grimm. Ozpin told me about them when I was researching how to travel between worlds. Said we might face them if we got to another Remnant." She deployed her blades. "What is your name!?"

Fire sprayed from the beasts nostrils. "Nidhogg," it answered. "Burn."

Penny smiled. "My pleasure." Rose nodded, drawing her pistols.

* * *

 _Song: Riders on the Storm- The Doors_

 **Authors Notes**

Hello! Chapter 1 is done and ready! And yes, you read it correctly. I've linked _Toy Soldier_ to my **Shifting Remnant AU** because I'm stupid and ambitious and my fingers are crossed that my private RWBYverse isn't too large for me to handle. With that said, I wonder why Garnet found and finished building Gamma-3? Questions for later.

Penny and Rose have arrived on a failed Remnant, and Weiss is not the woman we knew from the last few stories. In _The Longest Night_ and _Eternity Rising_ she still acted normal because she held out hope that she could be fixed. But that was over a million timelines ago. Now? She's tired and bored. Hunting the Master Unit Grimm is the only pleasure she has left...well, mostly.

Fun Fact: I finished watching Marvel's Jessica Jones today. It was sweet! Almost as sweet as...CHRISTMAS! (See what I did there?)

Till next time! :D


	3. Chapter 2: Heresy

Chapter 2: Heresy

Weiss panted heavily as she climaxed, riding on this person that she'd hooked up with only an hour ago. Slumping over, she fell to the side and was lying on her back. _It's not the best,_ she thought. _But, it'll do._ The man she was with was some sort of Faunus, but she didn't really focus too much on the details; she didn't even bother to remember his name. He smiled and rolled to look her in the eyes. "You were great, baby," he said. "We should go again."

Weiss scoffed. "You weren't that good," she commented. She stood and dressed herself as quickly as possible. "Just another brief lapse out of my boredom."

"That's cold, baby," the man said. "Some of us have feelings, you know."

Donning her boots, she turned to face him. "Fine. In less than fifteen hours, a black comet is going to enter Remnant's view and strengthen Grimm. Over the next year, mankind will nearly be wiped out. Vale will be overrun with Grimm. I suggest you get a head start and flee to Fort Stein."

He laughed. "Well. Now I feel bad. You're not supposed to put your dick in crazy."

She simply smirked as she turned to leave. "You'll thank me when the comet arrives. That or you'll die like everyone else. I don't care either way." Without waiting for his reply, she left the motel room and started walking through the streets of Vale.

A small, white snake head poked out of her jacket and rested warmly against her neck. "Why didn't you undo the summon?"

"I need someone _interesting_ to talk to, Ouroboros. A talking, evil snake isn't ideal, but its what I'd call interesting," Weiss retorted.

"I understand that much," he replied harshly. "But watching you fornicate isn't exactly something I'd have chosen to do."

She smiled cruelly. "Aw, does the living incarnation of temptation feel awkward from watching his master fuck?"

"Temptation was my specialty, yes, but never sexual temptation. And I was born for the sole purpose of killing your kind, witch. Seeing any of you fornicate is disgusting."

Weiss smiled deviously. "From now on, at least once per lifetime, I am going to have the wildest sex imaginable and make you watch it." She could almost feel the snake shudder at her words. "So, what's our game plan?" she asked.

"Game plan?"

Weiss turned down a different street, ignoring the strange looks from people she was getting as she talked to the snake in her jacket. "It's my _something_ th life. I've very nearly lost count. I fully intend to kill all of the Master Units at least once. Who should I aim for this time and how should I go about it?"

"Who have you killed?"

"Just you."

"How could you kill me, but not any of the others?" Ouroboros asked in shock.

"Not for lack of trying, mind you," Weiss said quickly. "I've died countless times attempting. With you, it'll be easier to kill them."

"And with each Master Unit you destroy, you grow more powerful." The snake's tongue licked at the air in thought. "You will be the most power monster of them all, witch."

Weiss smiled. "A monster, hm? I rather like the sound of that."

"Why do you hunt us? Is there some reason? Will our deaths break your free from this endless loop?"

"Not at all," she answered immediately. "Not that I know of, at least. I just have nothing else to live for, and I've run out of things to die for."

Ouroboros chuckled. "Have you tried religion?"

Weiss paused, hesitantly remembering a night from hundreds of thousands of lives ago.

 _Ruby stood silently in the rain. Weiss stood beside her with an umbrella, the pair of them keeping guard over the wall that defended Beacon. Cardin's funeral was earlier that day, and the team had a lot on their minds._

 _Ruby turned to Weiss. "Do you think...that there's a life after death in some form. Is there a heaven we can go to after we die?"_

 _Weiss smiled weakly. "I like to think so. To believe otherwise, to me, is terrifying. I don't like the thought of not existing. If my spirit lingers in another realm, then I still exist somewhere. That's what I like to think."_

Weiss spat angrily before resuming her walk. "God is dead," she whispered, resenting her old beliefs.

* * *

Rose fired back to back with her twin pistols, seemingly not doing much damage to Nidhogg. "What the hell is this thing?" she asked in between heavy breaths. "It doesn't want to die!"

Nidhogg opened its maw, unleashing an inferno upon them. Penny closed her fists and made a solid punching motion to the sky with both of them, creating a force field between her and the flames. "I expect nothing less from a Master Unit! We've got our work cut out for us!"

The flames died away and Penny released the barrier, but a small tongue of fire licked at Rose's arm as it faded. "Fuck me!" she shouted as it barely burnt the surface of her skin. "You got any ideas?"

"How about some of that Dark power?"

"You really want me to use it? I'm still not very good at it."

"Every little bit helps."

Rose nodded. She holstered her pistols and held her right hand out, whispering incantations to herself as she began to summon the black bladed scythe. Mid summon, she felt the ground give a little bit; the crashed airship had damaged the surrounding facility too much and was due to collapse. "Penny, we can't stay here!"

"We can stop it! If we stop it, this Remnant may live, and then we can find Weiss."

"Weiss is dead here! There's no way she's still alive here. If we don't go, Gamma's shafts will collapse and we'll be stuck here, or worse!"

"Weiss has to be here!" Penny insisted.

"She's fucking dead!"

"You don't know that!"

Nidhogg landed two hundred feet away, making the ground rumble. Sections of the ground began to cave. "We saw her broken blade! That's evidence enough!"

"But what if she _is_ here?"

"We live forever," Rose shouted reassuringly. "We can come back later. Maybe next month, maybe next millennia, but we _will_ come back!"

Penny was uncertain, but she knew her options were limited. She growled to herself. "Damn it!" she shouted as she turned to flee with Rose following behind. They leapt down the shaft, using their magic to ease the landing.

" _Burn!_ " Nidhogg cursed. Rose looked up and could see the black dragon's head arching into the shaft. It's razor teeth were bared and it opened its gullet, preparing to breath fire.

"Run!"

Making great haste, the pair rushed to the sarcophagus chamber and began to chant the incantation to re-open the portal. The room began to heat up as dragon flame erupted in the next room over, melting the metal and concrete that held the facility together.

The door began to bend and bow from the heat when the rainbow rift opened. Without even looking they leapt through, narrowly avoiding being burned alive.

Once again their senses were assailed with confusing sensations as their bodies were pulled in every direction. Rose felt as though her stomach would be ripped from her torso if the tumbling didn't end soon.

They "landed" violently in a field of grass. Penny lay still and silent on her back while Rose once again vomited, ejected what little was left of the contents of her stomach. Raising to a seated position, Penny glanced around to get her bearings. _Why aren't we in Gamma?_ she thought. To her left was the cliff that lead to the Emerald Forest, with Beacon to her right.

"Penny?" Rose asked as she spat the last remnants of puke into the grass. "Where the hell are we?"

"This Remnant is fundamentally structured differently," she answered. "It's the only explanation that makes sense. Or maybe Gamma doesn't exist here. Who can say." She stood and help Rose to her feet. "I say we head for Beacon. It's as good a place as any to start looking." The two of them began to move towards the school when Penny caught the sound of rustling trees. She held a hand out to stop Rose as she began to listen closely.

Nothing. _The wind?_

Then it came again, this time lower to where only Penny could here. _No. There's something here._

She took a single step forward and was stopped by a gunshot, the bullet embedding into the dirt in front of her foot. "That's far enough!" came a female voice that would have made Penny's heart skip a beat if she had one.

From the tree line came a group of four people; students from Beacon. Jaune Arc was on the far left with his sword drawn. His hoodie was missing, and in its place was a sleeveless leather brigandine with his breastplate covering the top portion of his torso. His jeans were torn, the left legging was ripped off from the calf down exposing armored leather boots in place of his low tops. His hair was long, tied into a short pony tail to keep it out of his eyes, and a long thin scar stretched from the right of his forehead to the left cheek.

Next to him was Pyrrha Nikos. Her armor was dented and scuffed, and even had patches of bland steel welded on, presumably repairing gaps that had been carved by Grimm. Her rifle was missing, and in its stead she held a long red spear. Her shield was misshapen, and had the Arc crest crudely painted on it, which Penny found curious. Her green eyes were full to the brim with suspicion and concern.

On the right was Blake. Her ribbon was nowhere to be found, and Penny was horrified to see that her right cat's ear was completely missing, as was her entire left arm. She wore her black leggings and white shorts, but her top consisted only of a black sports bra, exposing the recently healed nub of her left shoulder. Gambol Shroud rested in her remaining hand in pistol form, her grip deathlike.

Finally, Penny's eyes landed on the one who had spoken. Holding Crescent Rose in its rifle form was none other than Ruby herself. Like Jaune, she'd let her hair grow long, but it hung loosely about. Only her left eye was visible; her right was covered by a black makeshift eye patch. Her red cloak was tattered and torn, as were her leggings and sleeves. The silver saucer of the right eye glared daggers into Penny and Rose. She was the one who had shouted at them.

"Ruby," Penny said, longing slipping into her voice.

Ruby's eye narrowed. "How do you know me?"

"Ruby, I'm-"

"Stop, Penny," Rose cautioned with a whisper. "This timeline is different from the one where you met her. It's likely that you're already dead here, or maybe you were never built. In any case, she doesn't know you here."

Penny nodded. "I...I can't explain that very well right now."

"We haven't seen any survivors in this are for months," Jaune said sternly. "Are you brigands? Nomadic scavengers?"

"Look at their clothes. They're nearly pristine. Like they haven't had to fight the Grimm," Blake said matter of factly.

"It's true," Penny agreed. "We're... _new_ to the area."

"Even more of a reason not to trust you," Ruby said coldly.

"We mean you no harm," Rose said. "We're just looking for a person. Weiss Schnee. Do you know if she's around?"

The four hunters looked at each other, shocked and confused. Ruby aimed Crescent Rose at the Shifters. "How do you know that name?"

"We're here to help," Penny assured. "Please."

Pyrrha stepped forward and put a gentle hand on Ruby's weapon, easing it lower. "What's the harm?" she asked.

Ruby eyed them suspiciously before she glanced at Pyrrha. She sighed, stowing away her rifle. "Follow us."

* * *

 _Song: Heresy - Nine Inch Nails_

 **Author's Note**

I'm alive! How alive? Hell, I don't know. I've been super busy in life and haven't been able to contribute to the community like I once did. But that doesn't mean I didn't constantly think about it. I thought, "Damn, I really, _really_ need to finish that story!"

So, here I am, trying to tackle it again. It's hard stepping away for so long and trying to come back.

So, LET'S RECAP:

1) Weiss is feeling mostly indifferent. And yes, I actually went into a bit of sexual detail. That thing I almost never do. Ever. It felt weird to do. Super weird. I like sexual stories too. I just...don't like writing them.

2) Penny and Rose couldn't fight Nidhogg and had to flee, stumbling into another Remnant destroying by the Grimm. This Remnant however has team RBJP...I don't think I can make a word out of that. R & B J-Pop? What the fuck? Oh well. Suspicious Ruby is suspcious.

On to the fun facts of life! AKA: Why I've been so busy!

Fun Fact 1: I got hired full time at my job. I now make higher pay and get no free time. Yay, I can adult now!

Fun Fact 2: Due to Fun Fact 1, I bought a car. Yay! I can adult even more now!

But seriously. I'm so sorry that I was away for so long. I hope you can forgive me, and I hope my writing hasn't suffered for such down time. I also started an Magic: The Gathering fanfic series some time ago, but I don't know how often I'll post it, or if I'll even go through with it. Please, leave a review or PM me. Talk about the story, talk about life, talk about work. It doesn't matter. Just please, let me know what you think.

Till next time! :D


	4. Chapter 3: Makeshift Chemistry

Chapter 3: Makeshift Chemistry

The comet came, unsurprising to Weiss as it was. She stood with her hands on her hips in the courtyard of Beacon, watching the ethereal darkness that emanated from the cosmic rock slither its way across the sky. Harbinger, a dark messenger of damnation, and she wasn't fazed by it at all anymore. What she'd give to die of cancer again. It was unique in a vast array of countless ways that she'd died before. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "So it begins," Ouroboros said as he slithered out from under her shirt, poking his head out of the collar. She'd already grown accustomed to having the sentient serpent around, and he in turn had warmed up to her in the few days that he'd been summoned. "Strange. I've never seen it like this before."

"And how is that?" Weiss asked.

"It's...oddly beautiful. Before I never cared about it. I only knew that it birthed me and my power. Now that I am untouched by its shadow I can see it for what it truly is; _divine_."

"We'll have no talk of the divine, Ouroboros," she spat. "It's a black rock, bringing a black death in its wake. It's ugly and filled with hatred. And it is mundane and routine. It's boring. That's what it is." She turned and began to seek out her team.

"What are you going to do?" the snake asked.

"I've got a role to play until a Master Unit shows its ugly face. I can't give a poor performance. After all, it's supposed to be the first time I've seen Harbinger."

The snake was about to comment when his head froze in place. "Someone comes," he whispered as he slithered back under Weiss's shirt.

Ruby, Blake, and Yang all ran out from the school and into the courtyard. "Weiss!" the young leader shouted. "Ozpin's calling an emergency assembly in the auditorium."

"What for?" Weiss asked, feigning ignorance.

"The comet," Yang said. "We all feel it. It's not right. Not... _natural_. I think something's coming."

Weiss nodded. "Let's get going then."

* * *

Penny and Rose were being lead, almost at gunpoint, through the forest towards Beacon. "Were your friends always so... _friendly_?" Rose asked.

"It's the comet," Penny explained. "They've led hard lives here. They have every right to be suspicious of other people." Rose nodded, and the two of them carefully watched their escorts. A thought crossed her mind; she might be a captive. Had they been enemies she wouldn't have cared. With or without her weapons, she could overpower them. Her soul was connected to the Cauldron, and she had access to dozens of magical spells now that could decimate an ordinary army.

But these were her friends.

She shook her head. No. Not her friends. This Ruby had never met her before. They were the ghosts of Penny's loved ones, echoes of a time lost that she never knew. She sighed, turning her eyes to the one eyes Ruby beside her; the sight disturbed her greatly. "How long has the Longest Night been going on?"

"Is that what you call it where you come from?" Ruby asked. She spat. "I just call it Hell on Remnant." She turned to meet Penny's gaze. "You don't have a clue, do you?" Penny shook her head and Ruby laughed; a short, cold, unamused laugh. "To think that there are people living out there that haven't been touched!"

"It's more complicated than that," Rose assured.

"I'm sure it is," Ruby agreed. "And I intend to find out every facet about where you come from. Every detail." Rose and Penny shared a brief glance before the group broke the tree line. "Welcome to Beacon," Ruby said. "And all that's left of Vale."

The structure was in shambles. A makeshift concrete and wooden wall surrounded the perimeter, with several watchers circling with weapons drawn. The tower where Ozpin's office rested was shattered, pieces of it lying about on the ground. One of the large clock hands was sticking straight out of the dirt. Rose and Penny gasped at the wrecked state of the school.

Penny swallowed before asking the tough question that had popped into her head. "Is Ozpin still alive?"

Ruby gave her a long, indifferent stare with her remaining left eye before nodding. "He lives. Were it not for him _everyone_ would be dead."

"How many of you are left?" Rose asked.

Ruby turned and walked away. "Shut up and follow me."

Rose and Penny gave each other a brief glance before they followed. Blake lightly brushed by, and Penny couldn't help but stare at her missing arm. "I can't believe this Remnant is so far gone."

" _This_ Remnant?" Jaune asked.

"It's...a long story," Rose added.

The group approached a barred gate in the concrete wall. Ruby cleared her voice. "We've found some strays!" she shouted to a nearby guard.

Penny nearly drew her weapons instinctively at the sight of Roman Torchwick as he looked over the wall. "Well, I'll be damned," he said. "Have they had their shots, or should we put 'em down?"

"That's what we're going to find out," Ruby replied.

"Right. Guess I'll open up for you, then." The man disappeared from sight for a moment and the gate opened slowly. As they entered, he met them on the far side of the wall. His white coat was torn in several places and his undershirt was missing, showcasing his impressive abs, as well as three long scars running across his torso. His hat was missing, and his hair, like the others, was slightly longer than Penny remembered it being. "They look fairly fresh. Where'd they come from?"

"Haven't told us yet," Ruby said with annoyance, and Roman gave her a sympathetic look. "I know. I'm not happy about two strangers entering our territory either."

"Well, take 'em to Oz, I guess." Ruby nodded and motioned for the group to follow her as she began to walk by Roman. The orange haired man grabbed her by the bicep as she passed, making her stop. "You still free tonight?" he asked in a hushed voice.

For the first time since they arrived, Penny saw this Ruby smile. "Only for you," she whispered, and to her shock the pair gave a brief kiss before he let go. "Come on, let's go!" she shouted.

"That normal?" Rose asked in a whisper.

Penny shook her head.

* * *

Night was falling, and the howling of Grimm filled the air as she stood atop the dorm building. Millions of years worth of lifetimes made her appreciate this spot with each Possibility. There were a few times, when Ruby was also stuck in this same loop, where she noticed her leader standing up here contemplating how to stop the coming devastation.

She chuckled to herself. Ouroboros slithered out of her blouse at the collar and stared at her with unblinking serpent's eyes. "What is so amusing, witch?"

Weiss smiled. "Nothing. Just remembering how I was once not alone in this hell. Ruby was stuck in a loop just like me. She was somehow set free of it. I...I lost count of how many lifetimes ago that was."

"How do you know that she's free of it?"

"Because she doesn't remember her failed lives. To her, each iteration is the one and only timeline. She still fears death because to her it is real. For me, however," she stepped close to the edge of the roof. "I could finish it right now and not fear the outcome. A few blissful moments of weightlessness, a sudden brain splattering halt, and then I'd be awake in my bed as though none of it had happened...but I'd remember." She spat, her saliva blowing in the wind as it plummeted to the ground below. "Life has lost its interest, and death has no weight. Everything means nothing to me now...except for killing the Master Units."

Ouroboros followed her gaze. "Why do you wish us all eradicated?"

"Simply because it's quite honestly the only thing I've never done. It's the only thing worth doing in this endless life of mine." She sighed. "At the very least, I wouldn't mind true immortality. Like Ozpin. The power to leave Remnant and explore the cosmos for all eternity is a much better outcome than endlessly dying and starting over." She looked up at the night sky, and saw the fractured moon hover above, its shards shining brilliant silver. "It's all so dull now."

"What of this loop? What would you do if it could be broken?"

She smiled. "Then I would kill myself and be done with it all. I'd finally get that eternal rest that I long for."

"You would truly end it all?" Ouroboros asked, surprised. "Truly amazing. Mortals have long dreamed of eternal life, and now that one of you finally has some semblance of it you wish it gone."

"It's not what it's cracked up to be," Weiss said dryly. "Enough. What can you do, Ouroboros?"

"What do you mean?"

"Can I rely on you to track the other Master Units? Sniff them out?"

The serpent stared at her. Her blue eyes were dull and lifeless for the most part, but he saw a determination buried deep within them. This was her final wish before she truly resigned herself to taking the spectator seat for all of eternity. "I make no promises," he admitted. "But...if I am to be stuck with you in spirit, then I will do my best."

She nodded. "That's a start."

* * *

The grounds outside of Beacon were a mess, and the inside of the wall was no better off. Power had long since been cut it seemed. The courtyard was no longer full of grass for students to engage in outdoor activities. Instead, the grass had been uprooted, dug out, tilled, and turned into a makeshift farm that was growing corn, tomatoes, beans, and potatoes with a pair of what must have been former students working it tirelessly.

Inside the structures was a massive array of barricades and barracks, as well as several boarded up rooms. "What are these for now?" Rose asked.

"Empty space," Blake answered sadly. "Not enough survivors to utilize it."

"Blake," Penny began sadly, but was cut off by Blake's glare.

"I don't know how you know our names, but you better explain everything to Ozpin."

Penny nodded. "I will. I promise."

They meandered throughout the building until they made it to the old war room. Penny had never visited it before, but knew of its existence. Ruby's story of her last incarnation of the Longest Night, when she was in the Cycle, involved this room heavily.

Entering, they found a grizzled Professor Ozpin. "Can I help you?" he asked before his eyes landed on Penny and Rose. "Hm. What have we here?"

"Vagabonds," Ruby said coldly. "They knew our names but refused to say how or why." She paused. "And they came looking for Weiss."

"I see," Ozpin said. "And did you explain Weiss's situation?"

"She's here?" Penny asked, suddenly encouraged.

Ozpin gave a grim smile. "Of course she is. When you walk outside this building, take a left and follow the path until you come upon our little cemetery. You should find her headstone among them."

The android's head hung low. "Damn it," she whispered.

"It's only the second stop," Rose stated. "It's barely been a day for us. We've got an unlimited array of places to look. We'd never get that lucky."

"So," Ozpin started. "Who are you? What are you here for?"

Penny took a deep breath and stared deep into Ozpin's eyes. "First things first; Nacht sends his regards, Ozpin."

Ozpin's eyes narrowed for a moment before he replied with, "I'm afraid I don't know that name."

"I believe you do," she ensured. "You are an immortal Shifter of near limitless power, choosing to err on the side of caution and pretend to be a normal human. Unless I'm mistaken, your power is sealed within your cane, waiting for you to break the crystal and resume your true form."

His eyebrows arched. "And what makes you say that?"

Without missing a beat, she summoned the power of fire into her palms and shot it at Ozpin, moving faster than any eye could see. Ozpin was forced to catch it with his bare hand and extinguish the fire. Ruby, Jaune, Blake, and Pyrrha drew weapons and pointed them at the two Shifters; to their credit, they weren't fazed by the defensive postures. "No normal human could do _that_."

Ozpin sighed. "Stand down. She meant no harm. She was only proving a point." The team did as ordered, and the weapons were lowered. "Guilty as charged. I am immortal, and I wield powers greater than any man on Remnant. I take it that you two are Shifters as well?" Penny nodded. "Did Nacht send you to check on my devastated world? Is he laughing from his perch at my failures?"

"Not that simple, I'm afraid." Penny corrected, and she explained her mission in full detail. She described the events of before her rise as a Shifter; the War of Dogma, the capture of Crim, the Longest Night cycle that Ruby was under, and how Weiss was still under it.

This version of Ruby was bewildered to say the least. "You mean to tell me that there are versions of Remnant where this war never happened?"

"Not many, but yes. I come from one such possible timeline."

"And Weiss is still alive somewhere?"

"We're trying to find her. There is only one of her in all of existence, so this is a sort of _needle in a haystack_ kind of hunt. Every time she dies, she ends up in a new timeline." She paused. "How did she die here?"

Ozpin paused. "Cerberus attacked. Destroyed the clock tower during the attack, and the rubble fell on her. That was a year ago."

"A whole year? Shouldn't the war be over by now?"

"It pretty much is," Pyrrha admitted. "But humanity's numbers dwindled to near extinction. Now it's a fight for resources, as well as a fight against the remaining Grimm."

Rose nodded. "We mean you no ill will. Now that we know that this variant is a dead end, we'll leave and get out of your hair."

Penny agreed. "Is the Gamma facility still under Beacon?"

Ozpin nodded; she had mentioned Gamma in her explanation. "It's not in the best shape, but yes." He paused. "I suggest you rest for a day before you go."

"We wouldn't want to impose. Your resources are precious, and we wouldn't want to use them for ourselves."

Ruby stepped forward. "You're trying to save Weiss?"

Penny nodded. "It's all I want. If I have to search the multiverse for another five thousand years, I will."

"I've never known you on this world, Penny," Ruby continued. "But if you truly wish to save Weiss, then you're a friend to me." She extended her hand to shake, and Penny gladly accepted it.

"You know," she began. "From my point of view, we were friends for over eighty years before you died of old age. To me, seeing you again in any form, even this one, is a godsend."

This Ruby nodded, though she clearly didn't quite understand. "I can only hope that I die of old age here."

* * *

Throughout the day, Penny and Rose learned about this version of Remnant, and why certain things existed the way that they did. Here, Jaune and Pyrrha were married; her name was now Pyrrha Arc, and thus she painted his sigil onto her shield to symbolize their unity.

Blake lost her arm fighting a Nevermore that was the cause of Yang's death. In her eyes, the loss of her arm was more than enough to compensate for revenge, and saw it as equal trade.

Most bewildering of all to Penny was the fact that this version of Roman Torchwick was madly in love with Ruby, and she returned his affections. While she had heard that he had secretly cared for the younger girl, to think that there was a timeline where that care turned into infatuation was mind boggling.

They spent the night, as promised, and began to explore the ruins of Beacon the following morning. "This world is on the verge of crumbling," Penny whispered as she and Rose wandered the grounds. "But somehow, they've all found their own happiness."

"When you have so little hope," Rose stated. "Any distraction is encouraged." She took a deep breath and sighed quietly. "We should go. They've invited us to stay for the night, but we can't really afford to wait."

"No. We can't." Penny nodded. "Let's go." The two of them started to make their way to the entrance to the Gamma facility when she paused. "I think we're getting used to the Labyrinthus. I can feel it from here."

"We're not in Gamma yet, though."

Penny smiled. "It just makes the job a little bit easier." She stood still and silent for a moment with her eyes closed as she concentrated on the Labyrinthus, connecting to the multiverse through the Cauldron, when she _felt_ that someone was near. Opening her eyes, she turned around to see the one eyed Ruby stare curiously at her.

"We've given you permission to use our supplies and to rest, and still you leave without any of that," she stated flatly, the wind blowing her long hair gently this way and that. She gave a light smile. "I suppose it's for the better. We need it more than you, since you aren't even from this world."

Penny nodded. "If it's any consolation, we're both pseudo immortal. We can go hundreds of years without food or water. I myself am mechanical, so I _never_ need to eat or sleep."

"It gets uncomfortable after about a week of no food," Rose commented. "Can't imagine what that feels like after a hundred."

Ruby nodded. "There's that, I suppose." Her expression darkened for a moment. "I have a favor to ask of you, Penny."

The automaton girl nodded and slowly approached this echo of her old friend. "I know you don't know me, but I've never broken a promise to you, Ruby. I'll do anything for you."

Nodding once again, Ruby reached into a pocket in her skirt and pulled out a torn, weathered envelope. "Give this to Weiss when you find her."

Penny accepted it gingerly. "May I ask...no, never mind. It's personal, I'm sure."

Ruby shook her head. "It's...basically everything I wish I had said to her in life... _this_ life. If she's stuck in a time loop, then there's a chance that she's already heard those words that are written there. But, this isn't for her. It's for me. I need to know that I did everything I could for my best friend." A single tear rolled from her solitary eye before she wiped it away. "I'll be sure to repair this world to the best of my abilities. Cerberus is dead here, and the other Master Units seem to be withdrawing, as if the power that created them is failing. We've won the war. Now we must survive the aftermath."

Penny nodded. "You were always strong, Ruby. One of the strongest humans I've ever had the pleasure to meet. You'll make do, I'm sure." She turned to rejoin Rose before she paused once more. "I would've never expected you and Roman to have gotten together. How _old_ are you here?"

Ruby blushed; a piece of her that Penny had known had in fact survived this world. "I'm nineteen now. And...I'm expecting."

This made Penny smile. "Too soon to know the gender, I assume?"

Ruby smiled back, patting her stomach gently. "I'm not allowed to go on recon as of tomorrow. Roman wants to keep me home until the child is born. If its a boy, I'll name him Weiss. If its a girl, I'll name her after Roman's first child."

"Neo?"

Ruby's eyes went wide. "How did you..."

"That is a long story. One I don't have time for now." Penny raised a hand and invoked a special spell. "I've cast a ward upon you, Ruby. It should last a little over a year before wearing off. With it, you should be safe. More safe than usual, at least. Take care of your family here. That is my request to _this_ you."

Ruby's eye began to cry again as she tried fiercely to wipe the tears away. "Thank you."

"Good luck," Penny whispered while Rose watched closely.

 _This is tearing her heart out,_ the gunslinger realized. _It's like saying goodbye to Ruby all over again for her._ "You ready, Penny?" she asked.

"Yes." Closing her eyes once more, she tapped into the Cauldron, finding the Labyrinthus. A wave of rainbow colored flames enveloped them, and they disappeared from another failed Remnant.

So began the search again.

And again...

And again...

* * *

 _Song: Makeshift Chemistry by Crown the Empire_

 **Author's Note**

I'm ALIVE! I haven't died yet!

Happy Halloween!

God almighty, it is really, _really_ hard to keep up with writing when I work all the time. On top of that, for the last 12-14 weeks, I've been DMing a very regular, weekly Dungeons and Dragons group. So, the busy lifestyle continues to follow me no matter what. But I never forgot about these stories.

In fact, I hope to put out the next piece of After Story soon as well to finally grow one step closer to putting the final touches on the True End of _Eternity Rising._

Even with _Observer_ , the story of _Eternity Rising_ is still considered the True End. We'll eventually come full circle to it. Don't worry.

Next chapter may be a time skip, or I may ignore Penny and Rose for a while and focus entirely on Weiss. I haven't decided yet. I don't expect chapters to be as long as this one for quite a while. I mean, I've _only_ been writing the same chapter since fucking _**JULY!**_

Well, it matters not. I still want to finish these stories. Especially now that Volume 4 has started and I want to tidy up my obsolete, non-canon based stories so I can update my RWBY lore and write up to date stories.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Hell, I pray that you've been enjoying this series. _Observer_ is meant to be the **final** piece of the _**Shifting Remnant AU**_. A nice, tidy end to a trilogy. The first I've ever made, to be honest.

Please, leave a review to let me know what you thought, or you can PM me. Do so either here, or on the /r/RWBY subreddit. I browse there frequently, and I check reddit daily, so I'll reply to any messages or review I get.

Fun Fact: I actually feel a little bad for V4 Cinder. I feel a lot bad, actually. Poor Cinder. Might write a fic about that.

Till Next Time! :D


	5. Chapter 4: Not Meant for Me

Chapter 4: Not Meant For Me

 _False Remnant #10,435,793: Beacon_

 _Weiss_

Vale was engulfed in flames as Weiss watched from a distance. It didn't matter to her. If anything, she almost saw it with disinterest. She'd seen it countless times, and she'd long since run out of tears to shed. Her arms were crossed, folded before her chest as she stared into the distant blaze feeling only boredom. Ouroboros slithered out from the breast of her shirt with a hint of curiosity about him. "I almost pity them," he muttered.

Weiss gave a dry, cold laugh. "You've been around humans too much, Ouroboros. You're feeling sentiment like them."

"You are human as well, Witch."

She scoffed. "Once."

The serpentine head arced around to face her, staring curiously into her ice blue eyes that stared into seemingly nothing in the distance. He remembered the day that she'd killed him. He had never felt fear during their battle, and even when she pierced his brain with Myrtenaster he had only experienced a brief wave of anger before fading from life.

Now that he was a part of her being and he could truly see her up close and personal, she terrified him. "You truly are a witch," he whispered.

"What was that?" she asked, returning partially to her senses.

"Nothing," he answered solemnly as he looked back at the flames of Vale. "Nothing at all." His tongue flicked and tasted the ash in the air. "Beowolves are the prevalent Grimm of the region. I suspect a Cerberus will begin to form any day now."

"And how long after birth will it reach its peak strength?"

"It took me a month or two to reach maturity. I suspect about that long. When that time comes, I pray you are prepared to destroy it, lest we die again."

She shook her head. "Death if of no concern to us, Ouroboros. We get a fresh start. I will try as many times as I have to."

The serpent flicked his tongue in thought, analyzing what she had just said. "Death may not be the end, but I imagine that it is still quite unpleasant. Are you sure about this?"

"What else is there to do, Ouroboros?"

"You could observe. Just watch and wait. Witness how the time flows. See how it all pans out. Maybe somewhere in the sequence of events is the secret to breaking free."

She laughed again. "I've tried, Ouroboros. For hundreds of thousands of lifetimes I have _tried_ to break free. This is the new absolute in my life. I will never stay dead. I don't know what sin I committed before to cause this, but this is my eternal Hell now. Never ending and agonizing. My only solace is the growing numbness that comes with each death." She shook her head. "This is my life."

The snake nodded before returning to the inside of her blouse, snuggling into her breasts for his own warmth; she didn't care. "Long may it last," he whispered bitterly. On one hand he resented the literal control she held over him. Yet, on the other, he pitied her. Perhaps there was a way to fix this.

Perhaps.

* * *

 _True Remnant: Atlas_

 _Neo_

"Can we truly trust these Shifters?" asked an elderly man wearing a blueish suit; Turk Koyce of the Atlesian council. "What of Penny? She's gone for years at a time! And what does she give for an excuse? _Previously ordained engagements_! What in the hell does that even mean? Is she putting other worlds before Remnant? How can we trust her if she isn't here to do her duty!?"

Neo shook her head. On days like today, she was thankful for being built as an android, otherwise this ignorant old man would be giving her a headache.

A middle aged woman with mostly brown hair, marred by small streaks of gray, scoffed at the sound of Turk. "Penny has enhanced the world of Remnant since she ascended to the power of Shifting. We have seen a fifty-five percent decrease in the Grimm Growth Rates in the past forty years alone! The introduction to true magic into our society has also exponentially lessened the energy crisis from the impending fuel shortages brought upon by aggressive Dust mining! Tell me, how is any of this detrimental to the world's current state?"

The woman, Cobalt, was correct. Penny had done all of this and more since she became Remnant's guardian. But while Penny was away dealing with other worldly problems, Neo was stuck here dealing with these foolish bureaucrats.

"Back in the day, if Ozpin or Ironwood had ever left their office for years at a time without saying a word, the majority of the world would be in an uproar! What makes this _machine_ so special if she can ignore her purpose?" Turk said angrilly.

This pissed Neo off, but she bit her tongue.

"Ahem!" came the sound of another man, this one in his mid thirties. White suit and black hair, he was the spitting image of one James Ironwood; the grandson of the general himself, Richard. "Turk, you're out of line with that statement. In case you forgotten, your _superior_ is a Synthetic. One of the _first_ I might add." He turned to Neo and gave a polite smile before returning a stern gaze to Turk.

Turk himself seemed to stutter. The foolish old man was without a doubt the oldest member of this global council, and Neo gave him a seat out of a sense of good will. She regretted that decision ever since. "M-m-my apologies, of course. I only meant that she blatantly ignores her home for other worlds, in spite of the fact that she should-"

"I would like to remind you," Neo began. "That while I am _your_ superior, Penny is _mine_. I will not have you so blatantly disrespect her in my presence."

The man's eyes narrowed as he stood angrily. "Am I to understand that I am not allowed to voice my concerns and _criticize_ the system that I serve? Are you so _corrupt_ , Neopolitan?"

Richard started to stand, but Neo gently motioned for him to sit. She remained seated as well as she continued. "Not at all. You are entitled an opinion. If there is something wrong with the system or how its operated, then you may voice your concerns and criticisms. But, I would caution you to think very, _very_ carefully when you make false assumptions about matters that you know nothing about. You are aware that Salvation was at war not too long ago, correct?"

"Yes, I am. But that war was-"

"And that war breached Remnant's borders for a brief time. Grimm were involved, beings of otherworldly power threatened to steal our resources, and they were _stopped_. Tell me, Turk; who stopped Flamma from advancing into populated areas on Remnant?"

He stared nervously at Neo before his eyes wandered the room searching for something to say. "P-Penny."

"Yes. And were it not for her and Salvation, the organization that she answers to, Remnant would have been conquered by living shadows and darker Grimm than we've ever seen before. There is a reason that it was nicknamed the Three Day War on this world. Isn't that right, Major Ironwood?"

"That's right," Richard said with a smile. "My specialized battalion, as well as Garnet and her trusted huntsmen, met Flamma in the field with Penny and her squad of Shifters. The battle itself only lasted for less than a day; the first two were spent regrouping and preparing to push the bitch back from Remnant."

Neo smiled. "So you see, Turk, Penny only does what she feels is necessary for Remnant. She doesn't ignore us, and she doesn't abandon us. Is that clear?"

The old man sat down solemnly. "Yes."

Neo nodded. "Good. Now, if this farce of an _emergency meeting_ is over with, I believe most of this council would like to go home." She stood. "Dismissed."

About a dozen men and women were in the room total, many of whom were just us pissed at Turk as Neo was. They all filed out of the room bit by bit, and Neo herself was straightening her dress shirt and tie.

"Miss Torchwick," Richard said, gaining her attention. "May I walk you home?" She always noted how similar he looked to his grandfather. In a few more years, she suspected that the first wisps of grey and silver would seep into the edges of his hair. His smile was intoxicating at times, and Neo had to remind herself that he was human and she was metal.

She smiled all the same. "Now, Major, you can't just offer to walk your _boss_ home like that. Your coworkers might get the wrong idea. It could start a scandal."

He chuckled. "Of course. Still, I feel that it is the proper thing to do. Besides," he paused and pointed out the window. "It's going to rain." He bent down and picked up a black and silver umbrella from under his chair. "So?"

She giggled silently to herself. "If you insist," she agreed. She picked up her parasol from behind her own chair and smiled coyly at the major. "But I carry my _own_ umbrella."

The two of them left the rather ornate government building and began to walk relaxed down the streets of Atlas, leading to the high end apartment complex that Neo called home. Like Richard had said, the rain began to come down and the two of them opened their respective umbrellas.

Neo always loved the rain. It helped her think. It was in the rain that she'd come to terms with what she was. It was in the rain that she discovered how much she loved _him_ , and that she would do anything for him. She also knew that it was in the rain that _he_ committed his first and last murder; he killed that man that had killed her. The real Neo. The rain reminded her of her beloved father; Roman.

From there, her thoughts drifted to her other loved ones, many of whom are now dead and gone. True, she would visit their descendants, the members of the elite huntsmen team KING, but they weren't their ancestors. They weren't RWBY.

But finally, her mind went to Penny. Where was she? How much time had passed for her since she began this mission?

"You okay?" Richard asked, made uncomfortable in the silence.

Neo was startled back to the real world for a moment, which made her realize just how human she'd become in the last hundred years. "Sorry. Was just thinking about Penny."

He smiled gently to her. "You love her very much. It's plain for all of us to see."

Neo nodded. "She's the only companion I have that will live long enough for _me_ to die of old age." There was a hint of humor to her statement, and Richard chuckled.

"Hey, now. Don't go and wish for that on me. Don't forget, my grandfather practically ran the robotics division of Atlas's military. I'm sure we could keep you going until _my_ grandson walks you home, and then some."

Neo laughed, giving the younger Ironwood a gentle punch in the shoulder. "You grew up way too fast, little boy. I remember when you were still in diapers."

He blushed as she said those words. "Hey...I'm not little boy now. I've become quite the man, don't you think?"

"Whatever you say, _General Awesome Ironwood_." She held back a strong giggling fit and gave him a teasing smile.

His blush deepened. "Hey, hey, hey! I'm thirty-seven, not four. I was a _child_ when I said that!"

Neo gave in and laughed heartily. "When you were still shorter than me you wanted to be just like your grandfather. You'd find every way imaginable to convince your parent's to let you visit him here in Atlas, and he'd come see me in my office with you in tow, and you'd just stare up at me with those dead serious eyes you had and you'd say, _When I grow up, I'm gonna be the general!_ " Her laughing fit grew stronger. Had she been human, her chest would have hurt from the spasms. "Whatever happened to that cute little boy, Richard?"

His blush was ever present, but he conceded defeat and shrugged with a light hearted smile. "Boot camp happened. You don't choose to grow up there; you're made to." He turned his head to look down at her short, petite frame with that same smile plastered on his face before he continued. "You may be a Synthetic, but you hide your feelings like a real human woman. What are you _actually_ worried about?"

Neo sighed. "Is it that obvious?"

"You started rambling on about me when I asked about Penny in an attempt to change the topic. I know that this isn't about longevity or age as you implied. Is something wrong?"

Neo nodded, then shook her head. She wasn't sure herself. "Penny's not in our Universe right now. She's...on another Remnant right now."

"Oh," Richard said nervously. "And like that, you've lost me." He smiled sheepishly as she looked up at him accusingly. "I'm just a soldier. Cosmic magic is a little out of my field of expertise."

"Well, the point remains. Penny has been gone for about three months now. We've heard nothing of her progress."

"So you're scared that she may be lost outside of our area of influence?" She nodded. "I wouldn't worry. She's practically a god now, after all. In addition to being a Synthetic no less."

The shorter woman nodded again. "I suppose you're right. We can only continue with our work here on our Remnant." She smiled. "How's the hub coming along?"

He chuckled nervously. "Remnant's hub is...tricky. We're not used to working with _real_ magic. The stone and steel of the structure is complete. The arcane enchantments being placed upon it...not so much."

By now they have arrived at the surprisingly extravagant looking apartment complex that climbed seventy stories into the sky. The two of them paused while Richard explained the situation, and Neo politely let him finish before she gave him a polite and friendly hug. "I'm home. Thank you for walking me, Richard. You're as sweet as ever."

Richard whistled, impressed by the building. "Isn't that a little too much?"

She shook her head. "It's what my father would have wanted."

* * *

 _True Remnant: Beacon_

 _Garnet_

The sun was setting over Beacon Academy, and Garnet Rose found herself sitting in her office. It never ceased to amaze her that when her great grandmother was a student the great Ozpin used this same room as his own office. A part of her felt like the giddy child that she once was when she sat in her comfortable chair, but she'd grown to be a serious woman when it came to her work.

On this day in particular, the new school year was beginning at Beacon in about a week and she was forcing herself to stay conscious long enough to review all of the new student dossiers. She took pride in her ability to study and nearly perfectly memorize who where first years were, and she tended to keep most of that information as the students progressed into their higher studies until graduation. Granted, it caused more than one major headache over the years, but she felt it was the proper way to handle it.

It's no wonder that she was unmarried at her age. She leaned back in her chair and rubbed her eyes with a groan. "Ooooh!" She stretched, popping various joints and moving the stiffness out of her muscles. "I'm out. Can't go on like this today." She stood up, and pulled her suit jacket off of the coat rack. Her top shirt button was undone and her tie was loosened to help her breath, and while part of her considered fixing it as she walked to her on campus house, she decided that she didn't care. The few students who lived her during the down time between semesters had seen her in her pajamas in the morning checking the mail, so a little loose neck tie wasn't an issue.

She entered the elevator, and decided to check the underground Gamma site before heading home. A few minutes of rabid descent later, the doors opened and she made her way into the antechamber. Gamma herself had stood guard in front of the residual portal for months without moving, still as diligent as before.

Garnet felt a pang of regret for never giving her a proper name, but she was one of the first true Synthetics. She was made from the same program as Penny, but not as advanced as far as Garnet could tell. Her silver hair was brushed and tidied, and her body was no covered by a skin tight black and silver combat suit. Unlike Penny, who's built in weapon system was a series of wires and swords, Gamma's weapon was her left arm, which could transform from a human hand into an energy based firearm. Her bright orange eyes were covered by an orange tinted visor; the screen was scrolling with information, most of it being diagnostics and other idle processes that Gamma did in her downtime.

"Hello, Gamma," Garnet greeted.

The scrolling text vanished and the visor cleared as the mechanical girl stopped her background processes to face her superior. "Good evening, Headmistress."

"Any change?"

"Negative. Connection to sister unit, Lambda, has not been established. She is still outside of range."

"Any other contacts?"

"No hostile threats detected. Scanning the anomaly leads only to white noise."

"I see," Garnet said with a sigh. She stared at Gamma curiously for a few moments while the robotic girl turned her attention to the remaining portal, standing by just in case. "Carry on, Gamma."

"Azure," Gamma muttered, almost too low for Garnet to hear.

"Pardon?"

"This unit wishes... _I_ wish to be called Azure," she repeated.

Garnet wasn't expecting to hear any of this, but a part of the exchange warmed her heart. She gave the girl a smile. "If that's what you want."

The girl nodded. "How long will I be down here all alone?" She sounded sad.

Garnet approached her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Only until Penny returns. After that...that will be up to you."

"Do you promise?"

The head mistress nodded. "Yes, Azure. I promise."

Hearing her new name, Azure smiled, and Garnet's heart broke.

* * *

 _Song: Not Meant for Me- Wayne Static_

 **Author's Note**

An update! So soon after the previous one! It's almost like the good old days!

Don't get too excited. I can't promise how long this new found strength will last. I can only promise that I want to finish this story as soon as possible, and tidy up the end of this trilogy.

What sounds better: the _**Shifting Remnant AU,**_ or the _**Shifting Remnant Trilogy**_? Truthfully, this is the first time I've ever written this much for one set of stories. I haven't even written this much for my _**Shifted Universe**_ books, which is where the _**Shifting**_ part of the title comes from.

Taking a break from Penny and Rose, fleshing out the other three main characters of this installment; Weiss, Neo, and Garnet. I've been fleshing out Garnet and Team KING in my head for quite some time now, and I like the idea of maybe doing a one off spinoff story about those four from when they first joined Beacon Academy.

Who are the fabled members of team KING?

Kuroi Wukong (later known as Kuroi Schnee)

Ignis Xiao Long

Noxell Weiss Schnee (prefers middle name, but Garnet just calls him Nox)

Garnet Rose

Well friends, I hope you enjoyed another chapter! I 'm already writing Chapter 5! Look forward to it!

Fun Fact: As of this chapter, the current word count for the _entire_ _ **Shifting Remnant**_ trilogy is well over  150,000 words. And that's not including _**After Story**_ , or the other multitudes of random fan-fictions I've written.I would like to thank all of you who were patient enough to sit through that many poorly edited words over these last two and a half years, going on three. I love you all, and I hope to keep making more in the years to come!

So, please leave a review, a PM, or a comment on Reddit. :D

Till next time! :D


	6. Chapter 5: Nothing Else Matters

Chapter 5: Nothing Else Matters

 _False Remnant #10,435,793: City of Vale_

 _Weiss_

Two months had passed, and Weiss found herself in the streets of Vale. Team RWBY had been sent on a reconnaissance mission into the city. Alone. Weiss noted that this was a strange order for Ozpin to issue, as most recon missions had two to four teams present just to be safe. Not today. Only team RWBY skulked the streets of Vale in the dead of night. Under the cover of darkness the four of them stealthily made their way between buildings, carefully avoiding the now abundant Grimm that infested the urban environments.

But Weiss didn't care. No, nothing really mattered at this point. She just wished that the Master Units had already grown to full strength at this point so that she could begin hunting them. Huh. _There's a thought_ , she echoed mentally. _Maybe this time, once they're done growing, I'll leave Beacon. I'll hunt them on my own. That way I don't have to wait._

"Weiss," Ruby whispered.

"Huh?" she replied quietly. "What is it?"

"You okay? I asked you if we were clear down that street."

"Oh. Sorry, I spaced out. Lemme check." She peered around the corner, Myrtenaster in her left hand and Ouroboros tucked away in her shirt. Twenty or so Beowolves roamed about, seeking out human flesh to devour. Weiss rolled her eyes at the sight. _Filthy animals._ "Pack of Beowolves. No go."

"Are you okay?" Ruby asked again. "It's not like you to space out like that."

 _Shit_ , she thought before coming up with a decent half lie. "I've just...been under a lot of stress lately."

"Take care of yourself. I need my best friend in top shape."

Weiss strained against herself, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. _I liked her better when she couldn't die either._ "I'm fine, Ruby." She tightened her grip on Myrtenaster. "Let's go." Turning down another nearby alley, the team stealthily made their way back to the awaiting extraction; Roman Torchwick's bullhead.

"Hello, ladies," he said suavely. "I noticed a lack of gunfire. Good work." Weiss hated Torchwick. Specifically this variant of him. In several of her lives he'd been warned by Ruby and given a chance to flee or join them, and in those times he turned out alright. This version of Roman was never warned by Ruby. No, after the city fell to Grimm he fled to Beacon and smooth talked his way to working for Ozpin on the condition that he be given food, resources, and shelter.

This Roman was still a con man. "The city's overrun. We can't reclaim any resources just yet," Weiss stated flatly.

"Shame. Well, I guess this trip was a waste a fuel." He shrugged, climbing back into the pilot's seat of his bullhead. "Let's not keep the big man waiting. All aboard."

* * *

 _False Remnant #55,437, City of Vale_

 _Approximately Three Years after the Longest Night: Three months after mission start._

 _Penny_

The flash of rainbow flame and space tearing popping sounded as Penny and Rose "walked" into the alleyway of. They'd become accustomed to the sensation of Shifting between realities, and were now capable of moving as freely as though it were an ordinary Shift; the sickening disorientation was long gone from them.

The two immortal women stood in the shade of the alley for a moment as they got their bearings. "Vale," Penny said calmly. "I don't hear any Grimm."

"Could we have arrived to a world before the comet?" Rose asked.

"Possibly, but not likely. I also don't hear the sounds of life. This city is empty."

"So, the Longest Night is over. Weiss is probably not here."

"Most likely not, but we have to be thorough." The pair strode out of the alley and into the empty street beyond. Grass and vegetation had long since began to break through the asphalt, automobiles were strewn about and covered in rust, the concrete of buildings was beginning to crumble; nature was reclaiming its lost territory from mankind. Penny looked around sadly. "I've lost count of them already," she whispered. "And I still can't get used to it."

"How long have we been traversing the Labyrinthus?"

"About three months. I could give you the exact time, if you'd like." Penny gave a coy, humorous smile as she spoke.

"Three months will do," Rose said with a shudder. "Three months...and we've seen more suffering in that time than I could have ever imagined."

"Such is the Longest Night. I remember how I was supposed to die in one of them. Ruby told me everything she remembered."

"That...must have been uncomfortable to listen to."

"If anything, it made me self conscious of living. It was strange, talking to someone who'd already seen me die. Now I know how she felt. I've talked to Ruby on several of these worlds now, but in my world she died a grandmother."

Rose nodded, the two of them carefully walking down the streets of Vale, keeping an eye out for possible Grimm. "This must be hard on you."

"Not as hard as you'd think," Penny said with a smile. "I've got you to keep me company, after all."

Rose returned the smile. "Well, I'm glad that I can-" she paused; the sound of metal scraping metal caught her ears. The two women got low and found cover behind two separate cars. Rose drew her twin pistols and turned the safety off.

"Rose," Penny whispered. "Use your eyes. What do you see?"

Letting magical energy well up from within, bringing it into her eyes, she activated the Oculus spell; her once brown eyes now glowed an eerie purple, and the black pupil was now in the shape of a four pointed star, like a compass rose. Rising her head above the car in front of her, she used her enhanced vision to scout about. "There," she whispered back. "Storefront, about ten windows on the right. The rollup door is moving. Something's bumped it."

Penny nodded. "Move slowly. I'm right behind you."

Pointing the two semi-automatic handguns forward, Rose quietly made her way closer and closer to the building in question. The closer she got, she began to hear the sounds of someone, or worse, something, rummaging about the place. The garage style door, commonly used for closing stores after hours, was somewhat ajar. With roughly a gap of two feet, there was just enough room for someone to crawl underneath. Rose motioned towards it so that Penny would understand that she meant to do just that.

Rose crouched and gently slid underneath the metal door, careful not to jostle it. The store, an old electronic shop, was dark. A normal human would have trouble seeing in this dense darkness, but her Oculus gave her perfect low light vision. The shelves were damaged and falling off, and much of the store's products were either missing or falling apart from mildewed cardboard and aged electronics. The air was stale and old, and there was no immediate evidence of a disturbance beyond the obvious until she saw the shine of a flashlight swipe through her vision in the back of the store, just around a corner.

The Shifter made her way carefully through the rubbish, overly conscious of all the little things that would make a sound if she were to accidentally bump into them.

"You think these will work?" came a low female voice.

"I don't know. It's worth a shot," replied a calm, soothing male voice.

"Damn it, I'm not an engineer! I don't know what the hell we're doing!"

"We have to try."

"Whatever. It'll be dark soon. Let's grab what we can and go."

The sound of objects being forced into bags came then, and Rose took a flanking position around the corner, waiting for whoever was here. A few moments later, the pair she'd heard rounded the corner and passed her without noticing her, their flashlights pointed at the ground. The woman was about Rose's height, but somewhat bulkier in build. Her hair was a shining gold, and a yellow scarf adorned her neck. The man that followed behind her was taller, and wore a green tunic. His jet black hair was marred by a single segment of pink hair. She recognized him from her months in the Labyrinthus; Lie Ren.

Without thinking, she turned the safety of her pistols on, making an audible clicking sound. Ren's guns were drawn almost instantly as he turned to face where she stood. "Who's there!?" he asked loudly.

"Whoa, calm down!" Rose said reassuringly. "Same team, same team."

The store's door was ripped open by Penny, casting the bright light of the sun upon them. "Everyone calm down," she said. "We're not here to fight." She looked Ren and the woman up and down. "Good to see you too still alive here."

The woman turned and gave Penny a confused look. "Who's the girl, Penny? I thought you were back at the settlement."

Rose rolled her eyes. "Oh, this is awkward."

"What is? What settlement, Yang?" Penny asked, slightly confused.

"What do you mean 'what settlement?'" Yang replied, also confused.

Rose sighed. "You're still alive on this Remnant. So, now there are two of you."

"Uh oh."

"Two of her?" Ren asked, still pointing his guns at Rose. "What are you talking about. Who are you."

"I'm Rose. I'm a friend. See?" She holstered her guns. "If I had been a baddie, I would have shot you in the dark."

"She raises a good point, Ren," Yang added. "Penny, what's going on."

"I...I guess that can be answered in a more secure spot. Where is this settlement?"

* * *

 _False Remnant #10,435,793: Beacon_

 _Weiss_

Weiss strolled down the halls of Beacon, having given Ruby some arbitrary excuse for her sudden escapade. She was heading for _his_ office; Ozpin. "That bastard thinks he's so high and mighty," she muttered to herself.

"You seem upset," Ouroboros said from within her shirt. "Why are you angry with Ozpin?"

"Because of what he is. Who he is. How he never does anything."

"You were perfectly calm until a few moments ago. What is the real reason you're upset?"

"It's been a few months, Ourboros. Cerberus has to be out there. The fact that we haven't seen him yet is pissing me off. I'm just taking it out on that silver haired prick."

"I see," he said calmly, trying to bring her down. "And what do you intend to do about this... _issue_."

"What Yang usually does at this point in the timeline. I'm going to tell him to send us to the Emerald Forest. That's where he usually comes from. If he's been born by now, then he might still be weak enough for me to destroy."

"You're getting impatient. What if Nidhogg were to arrive soon?"

"So? What if Callisto the Great Bear were to come? Scorpius the Master Deathstalker? Or, how about Calydonian? What I'd give to roast that monster of a pig."

"Yes, I understand you want to kill all of the Master Units. But, Nidhogg is the strongest of us all. You know this. He's classified as a Nevermore, but he's more of a black dragon. A single exhale of his breath can level a city."

"Oh, I know. Once he destroyed Atlas. Well, more than once, I suppose."

"He's far too powerful. You'll be weak after defeating Cerberus. _If_ you can defeat him."

"I know for a fact that you are actually stronger than Cerberus. The fact that I haven't killed him yet irritates me."

She felt Ouroboros flick his tongue in arbitrary thought. "I am?"

"Yeah. And you sort of fell in my lap. Hadn't seen you before, so I decided to try and kill you. I succeeded, clearly, but I died of my injuries not long after. Never made it home, actually. I fell to the dirt and died; mixture of blood loss and your venom."

The snake's head poked out of her shirt and looked at her curiously. "I _killed_ you?"

"Not before I killed you," she said with a smile. "No hard feelings. I feel like we get along just fine now."

"I suppose I should be proud of something in my existence then. I took down the witch."

"Don't get full of yourself. You weren't the first to kill me, and you weren't the last either. I've died plenty of times. I got careless. That's all."

"So you say."

"Get back in my shirt. We're at the elevator." He did as he was told, and Weiss entered the lift and rose to meet the headmaster himself. She didn't even bother to knock. When she found that the door was closed, she looked around to see if anyone was around to see her. When she saw that she was alone, she touched the handle with her bare hand and closed her eyes. Moments later, the brass was frozen solid and she kicked the door in, shattering the frozen metal.

"How did you-?"

"Not now," she whispered as she entered.

Ozpin sipped his coffee in silence as he turned to greet her. "Did you use...never mind. How you got into my _locked_ office doesn't matter. You wouldn't be barging into someone's private sanctum unless it was urgent or important at the very least. What do you want, Ms. Schnee?"

"Give me the fuel and resources to go into the Emerald Forest."

Ozpin arched an eyebrow. "Not one to ask nicely anymore, are you?"

"You know who and what I am, Ozpin, just as I know who and what you are. Don't fuck with me."

"Clearly. Millions of lifetimes. I'm not surprised you learned how to access something that shouldn't be accessible here anymore. Not since I siphoned off the Cauldron and turned that raw energy into the semblances we see today. Tell me; how does it feel to be a native citizen of Remnant and to use _true_ magic?"

Weiss smiled. "While I'm sure it doesn't compare to your status as a pseudo immortal and nearly god like powers, I'm still quite happy with what I can do. Summoning the base elements without Dust is useful for a lot. Like opening locked doors. Now, about the Emerald Forest."

Ozpin sipped his coffee. "Tell me. What do you expect to find in the forest? The Grimm have all but abandoned it for the city."

"Not all of them."

"Oh?"

"There should be a Cerberus in there, drawing Grimm from beyond our borders to gather his strength. I intend to destroy it."

The headmaster smiled. "And how does Ouroboros feel about this?"

The snake poked his out and looked into Ozpin's eyes. "I haven't a choice, Old One." He licked at the air and tilted his head. "I have latent memories of you...passed down through the memories of fallen Grimm, dating to the last Ouroboros. Trust me when I say that this witch scares me far more than you do."

"That's enough, Ouroboros. I'm not fond of flattery." She stared deep into Ozpin's eyes, sizing him up. "Will you give me what I want?"

He sipped his coffee. "You have twelve hours. Starting now. Go alone."

She smiled, feigning offence. "But _professor_ , what would you do if I were to be killed?"

"Don't toy with me, Weiss," he said seriously, using her first name; an act he had never done with anyone at Beacon before. "I know death if of no consequence to you. I think you expect to die. And should you fail, I will go myself and destroy this Cerberus with my own hands. If you succeed and die anyway, then I wish you luck on your future hunts on other Remnants. But, I will not allow you to cause the deaths of any of my students because of your reckless quest to entertain yourself." She was almost shocked by his statement. "Because I figured that much out. You aren't here to help anymore, are you? You're bored. Millions of lives lived, and you're simply _bored_. So go. Kill it or be killed by it, it makes no difference to either of us. Just don't get anyone else killed."

She laughed. "You don't know how much I love hearing you say that, Ozpin. Don't worry. I intended to fight it alone anyway." She gave a coy smile. "Well, not _alone_ , I suppose. Let's go, Ouroboros. We have a bullhead to catch."

She entered the elevator and left Ozpin to sit alone in thought. He adjusted his glasses and finished his coffee. "She's lived too long," he muttered. "She's lost sight of the reason for living. God help anyone who is close to her."

He pulled out one of his antique clocks and stared at it. It was one in the afternoon. He stared and stared at the minute and hour hands, watching time tick by.

She had twelve hours.

* * *

 _Song: Nothing Else Matters - Metallica_

 **Author's Note**

I have a date tomorrow. I should be in bed. But fuck it, I figured out how to finish this damn chapter and I just had to write the damn thing.

So, next time it's Weiss VS Cerberus. I think it'll be fun. Oh, and we see Penny and Rose again. Yay.

Side note: This story has evolved from when I started it all those months ago. In fact, when I decided to make this a trilogy and tie it all up with _Observer_ , I wasn't really sure what to write at all. So I treated it like Dungeons and Dragons; I created a lot of smaller plot hooks that, if interesting enough to me, I could tug on and tie together. Now? Well, I've done a lot of tugging, and as you've seen there are a lot of sublots going on at once, but I have plans to bring them all together.

Fear not. The end is in sight. Well, not "in sight" as in almost here, but I mean I have a pretty good idea on what I'm doing now. Which never happens. Like, when I started _The Longest Night_ almost 3 years ago, I did not expect _this_ at all. Hell, I didn't know how that story was going to end until I wrote chapter 12 or so. Same with _Eternity Rising_.

But all that matters is that I have fun with it, and it seems that there are a few of you who enjoyed these stories enough to stick with me after all this time. So, thank you very much.

Please, leave a review or PM me. I like to know how you guys feel about my work. Believe it or not, your feedback _does_ shape the story and how it flows, so it is very helpful.

 **Fun Fact** : I got a promotion at my job! I still have no free time, and the fact that I have a date tomorrow amazes me. Though, I expect nothing out of said date. We're great friends, and it's more of an obligation than anything, but we're going to have fun anyway. I guess that's two facts, isn't it?

 **Fun Fact #3** : I can't count very well. I suck at math!

Till Next Time!


	7. Chapter 6: Still in the Dark

Chapter 6: Still in the Dark

 _False Remnant #10,435,793: The Emerald Forest_

 _Weiss_

Weiss stepped off of Roman's bullhead, Myrtenaster at the ready in her left hand. "You sure about this?" Roman asked. "Shouldn't Red, or one of the others be with you?"

Weiss shook her head. "Ruby doesn't know I'm here. And she doesn't _need_ to know yet, Torchwick. Remember that."

He put his hands up defensively. "Hey, just saying, this is kinda dumb."

"I didn't ask." Without so much as a glance, Weiss began to march into the forest proper, leaving Roman behind.

"I'll just, you know, be here. Ready to clean up your body, or whatever." He shook his head. "Damn brat's gonna get herself killed."

Weiss smiled, barely able to hear him mutter to himself. Once she was out of sight and earshot, she held out her right hand. "Sniff him out, Ouroboros. Show me the way."

The miniature version of the godly serpent slithered out of her chest area, spiraled down her right arm, and poked his head and part of his body out of her sleeve as he licked at the air. "The air is clean. Untainted. They've not been here in some time."

"Then we need to go further in," she said with a smile. "I didn't expect him to be on the edge, I suppose."

"This is suicide if he is here," the snake whispered.

Weiss frowned. "When I want your opinion I'll give it to you. We're going deeper, so just keep looking."

She could feel the serpent sigh in her hand. "As you wish, _Witch_ ," he muttered bitterly.

* * *

 _False Remnant #55,437, Ruins of Vale_

 _Penny_

Penny had spent the trek through the ruins of Vale explaining the situation to this world's Yang, who responded in kind by laughing uncontrollably. "Penny, when you said you were trying to be more human, _this_ isn't what I pictured. That's a hell of an imagination you developed. You should write that shit down. It would make a good book if we ever get Remnant back on its feet."

The robotic girl shook her head. "I assure you, Yang, every word I said is true."

"Seriously," Yang continued without listening. "I also can't believe that you'd follow us without telling us, let alone bring someone that I've never met before." The blonde shook her head. "And playing dumb to boot. This has been a pretty good joke, but we're done playing around, okay?" She said all of this with a slight giggle in her voice.

"She's telling you the truth!" Rose yelled angrily.

"Uh-huh. So, what's your story?"

The gun toting shifter sighed. "My name is Rose. Rose Gordon. I'm Penny's partner in our mission."

"No, seriously. Stop with this prank. Who are you?"

"If I tell you the truth, which I already have, you're just going to get angry. Let's just go to this settlement of yours so that we can prove our story." She paused. "Wait. We don't have to do _shit_ , Penny! Let's just leave. There's no way that Weiss is still alive in this world, right?"

Yang froze in her tracks, causing the whole party to stop suddenly. She turned to Rose with reddened eyes. "How do _you_ know that name?"

Penny stood between Yang and Rose. "We're telling you the truth, Yang. We really _are_ from another Remnant. A Remnant where the Longest Night never happened. But there's an imbalance in the multiverse. Weiss is caught in a temporal loop; forever stuck reliving the events of the Longest Night. Only one version of her exists at a time, and she's lost in an infinite sea of worlds. We're trying to find her so we can save her."

Yang pushed past Penny and grabbed Rose by the collar of her vest, lifting her off of the ground. "Black hair, red clothes, named Rose...who _are_ you?"

"I'm not affiliated with your sister, if that's what you're asking," Rose assured nervously. "Just a coincidence. See? Green eyes, and I don't have a...well, I _do_ have a scythe, but that's not important. I'm not even from Remnant. I'm from a world called Earth. Completely different."

"Different how, exactly?"

"Well...no Grimm. Just a bunch of human nations who either really like each other or really hate each other. Except for Switzerland. They're the only middle man, I suppose. Look, I'm not important here. _Weiss_ is. Is she still alive on this Remnant?"

Yang growled and threw Rose up against a concrete wall, falling to her knees. "Do _not_ fuck with me, little girl!"

"To be fair," she said through a pained grunt after standing up, leaning on the wall. "I'm about a hundred and twenty-two years old."

"I don't care if you're a God damned queen! I don't trust outsiders. None of us do. Your story is bullshit, and I don't buy it! Who the _fuck_ are you, and what have you done to Penny?!"

"That's _enough_!" Penny shouted, invoking a magic spell that grabbed Yang and threw her to the ground. The blonde found that she was unable to move, as an unseen force was holding her in place. "I'm _not_ the Penny you know! I'm one hundred and eleven years old, and while that time has taught me patience of the likes that you can't even imagine, even I will wear thin eventually! We're not here to hurt you, Yang!"

Yang's eyes flashed deeper into a crimson red before Ren approached and put a caring hand on her shoulder. "Stop, Yang. They are being sincere."

"How do you know?" Yang growled in a low, pissed off voice.

"Because _our_ Penny can't do... _that_ ," he said, pointing at the area of magic that was binding Yang.

"I'm going to release you, Yang," Penny said in a calm tone. "Will you stand down?" Yang looked between Ren, Penny, and Rose before nodded slowly. Penny lowered her hands, and Yang was able to move again. "I can understand if you don't want to take us to your settlement. As Rose said, we're looking for Weiss."

Yang stood and spat. "She's gone," she said sadly. "She died about three years ago, right before the Longest Night." She laughed a dry, sarcastic life. "That bitch. She killed herself."

Penny and Rose were shocked to hear this revelation. "Why?" Rose asked.

"She was ranting and raving about a comet that would bring thousands of Grimm. That we were all going to die unless we ran away and found a haven. She couldn't handle that we thought that something was wrong with _her_. Maybe she'd had a minor stroke, or a very vivid dream that she'd confused for a memory. We tried to calm her down. She drew Myrtenaster and stabbed herself in the jugular. She'd gone insane." She looked at the ground, genuinely heart broken even after three years. "We didn't listen to her until it was too late. She'd killed herself, then that comet of hers showed up." She turned and started to walk away. Ren motioned for them to follow her.

She seemed to be rambling now, going on about the last three years as though she were just remembering random bits here and there. After a half hour, she stated, out of the blue, "Did you know that Vale's population before the Longest Night was about four hundred thousand?"

"Yes," Penny said thoughtlessly. "I, uh, kind of _can't_ forget numbers. Or anything else, for that matter."

It was then that Penny noticed that Yang had stopped in front of a makeshift wall made out of sheet metal and automobiles. The middle of the wall had a wrought iron gate that seemed to be barred from the inside. She whistled a tune, and the bar came undone as the gate opened. "Welcome to Shard; all that is left of Vale. Population: four hundred."

* * *

 _False Remnant #10,435,793: The Emerald Forest_

 _Weiss_

"Wait!" Ouroboros shouted suddenly, causing Weiss to halt mid stride. The snake's tongue flicked in and out of his mouth, tasting the air around them. "The air is... _foul_."

"Foul how?" Weiss asked.

"Like living death. Like shadow. It is the scent of Grimm."

She smiled, gripping Myrtenaster tightly in her left hand. "We're on the right track, then. How strong is the scent?"

"If I could vomit, I would."

"Good."

The snake shivered. "I am not accustomed to smelling my own kind this way. It is...unsettling. Terrifying, even."

"It's because you're bonded to me, Ouroboros. Humans are naturally terrified of the Grimm. It's been programmed into our genetics through thousands of years of being hunted. Much like how wild animals know when their most feared predator is near, so too do we. Disgusting, isn't it?"

"I'd have rather stayed dead," he whispered in response. "Turn north from here; the scent grows stronger."

Turning right, she proceeded as instructed. Weiss's eyes darted back and forth, looking for any signs of danger as she went. Cautious though she was, there was an obvious amount of bloodlust in her eyes. "Soon, all seven of you will be mine," she muttered to herself.

"Bold words from one who dies so much," Ouroboros taunted.

"Pretty big talk from someone who's in my _servitude_."

"It is my own personal hell." He turned to look into Weiss's eyes. "There's a lust within you comparable to the Second. _You_ are my Hell."

She spat. "What is with everyone and that fucking Dante around here? No matter how many lives I live through, _someone_ recites that god damned poet's work."

The serpent chuckled. "I am the patron of temptation; I couldn't resist the urge." His tongue flicked, and his head jerked forward. "Hide." He said lowly, and Weiss leapt into a thick tree without hesitation. "We're near a clearing; I can smell the corpses of flowers and animals."

"What else?"

"Beowolves. More than I'd care to count. This can mean only one thing; Cerberus."

"Can you smell him?"

"No. I don't know if he is away or the sheer number of Beowolves has him masked. I suggest a tactical retreat."

"I told you to keep your opinions to yourself," she snapped, gripping Myrtenaster. "He dies today. And if he's not here, then we'll kill the Beowolves and wait for him to come home." She leapt from tree branch to tree branch until she approached the clearing; the very same clearing where she'd seen Cerberus before. _Of course. I should have known._

The clearing was the size of a small field, filled almost completely with Beowolves. She looked all over, but could see no sign of Cerberus. "He isn't here," Ouroboros said.

"Then we wait for him. These Beowolves must be here for a reason."

The snake licked the air again and hesitated. "The air has shifted unnaturally. Something is... _off_."

"How off?"

"I believe...oh." The snake chuckled to himself. "Watch."

Weiss set her eyes upon the Beowolves once more and stared intently. "What am I watching for?" she asked after a minute of nothing. A Beowolf began to howl at the sky, sending a reflexive shudder down Weiss's spine. Then the second started to howl, and a third, and a tenth, and a fiftieth. She'd lost count after a moment, and she stared in awe at the organized movement of the monsters before her.

Hundreds of Beowolves circled each other with their heads aimed at the comet in the sky. A dark mist began to form around their bodies. "The fuck?" she asked aloud.

"It has begun," Ouroboros commented before going silent.

The mist began to solidify into a sort of tarry liquid, seemingly melting the army of Beowolves. Yet, the howling continued. It grew louder and louder, and soon the hundreds of unique howls began to dissipate and shift into one singular bestial war cry. The black liquid grew and formed a rough, giant shape of a Beowolf with one large head. The giant head split into three equal parts, growing ears and eyes. The tarry substance began to solidify, and in places the boney white armor plates of Grimm began to form.

Weiss's eyes went wide as she watched the spectacle before her; Cerberus had been born. He arched his middle head to the sky and howled one singular, horrendous cry of hunger.

 _"Hungry,_ " she heard it say to itself. _"More. I need more!"_

"He is the manifestation of the gluttonous appetite for power; the more Beowolves he absorbs the stronger he becomes," Ouroboros said. "He is unique amongst us Master Units; he is the only one capable of becoming Nidhog's equal."

"Then let's go," Weiss said as she leapt from the tree and into the open field.

"Witch, what are you _doing_? He's still a Master Unit; newborn or not, he's still powerful. He's devoured hundreds of Beowolves just to be born!"

Weiss was ignoring him as she calmly approached the massive, three headed beast. She stopped fifty yards from the monstrosity and glared daggers into his very being."My name is Weiss Schnee. Cerberus, I am here to destroy you."

Cerberus arched all three of his heads to look down at Weiss. The center head spoke. "A human...who knows me? How quaint. How did you find me so soon?"

"A little help from one of your friends," she said mockingly. "So, do I have to cut off each head, or do you have a singular heart that I can rip from your chest."

A loud, saliva filled dog like bark escaped the Master Unit's mouth. "You are a fill. I shall eat you first."

"You can certainly try," she whispered. Creating a glyph beneath her feet, she shot herself up into the air just out of Cerberus's reach and began bombarding him with dust based projectiles from her rapier, slowing her descent with another glyph.

Fiery explosion covered Cerberus, coating him in smoke before he leapt out to reveal himself. "You're out of your mind!" Ouroboros shouted.

Weiss smiled as Cerberus's open jaw approached her, ready to snap shut. Using another glyph, she dodged out of the way on the left. Her right hand, facing towards Cerberus, jerked as she threw the snake into the beast's maw. "On my signal!" Weiss shouted.

"What the hell are you doing!?" the snake shouted just as the jaws shut onto him; Cerberus gulped, swallowing the shrunken snake whole.

Weiss landed on the ground with a light thud, keeping balance and prepared for her next move. "Alright. Now for step two." Gripping Myrtenaster, she prepared a true fire spell in her right hand.

* * *

 _False Remnant #55,437, Settlement Shard_

 _Penny_

The gates had been barred once again from the inside as the group passed through the entryway. Penny looked about as she strolled by, noticing the haggard and hungry look on many of the faces. Cardin Winchester stood atop the makeshift wall under a small tarp canopy with a battered looking rifle in his hands, his mace resting at his hip. He was bare of his armor, and was instead wearing a curious garment; a jacket with a rabbit insignia on the front.

 _Jaune_ , Penny thought to herself. "Only four hundred survived the Grimm?"

"No," Yang answered. "Two thousand survived the Longest Night. The rest died after the fact. Sickness, starvation, marauders. You name it, we've faced it. You won't see much left of the Beacon students here. Cardin, Ren, Nora, Luna, and Velvet are all that's left of us."

"And the instructors?" Rose asked curiously. "Did any of them make it?"

"Glynda was the last to die. That was about three weeks ago; built up an infection in her leg. We looked as hard as we could but couldn't find any leftover antibiotics. We think that the world's supply of pharmaceuticals has run dry."

"So, who's in charge?" Penny asked.

"You are," Ren replied smoothly.

"Come on," Yang interrupted, clearly irritated. "Let's go see the _real_ Penny."

Penny and Rose nodded, following the duo through what was clearly a shanty town. Some of the concrete buildings were usable, but a great number of them were in disrepair from battles long past and were crumbling. "Not much of a settlement," Rose muttered without thinking.

"We can't afford to move," Ren explained. "We've tried. This spot may not be ideal, but the marauders and remnant Grimm have trouble piercing the walls. We're using the outlying buildings as part of the defense. There are better suited places for living, but not for surviving."

Rose shook her head. "Are there no worlds safe from this cataclysm?"

"Just the one," Penny chimed. "We have Nik to thank for that. I owe him more than I realized."

"Quiet," Yang spat as they approached an alive green tent. A massive radio tower jutted out of a hole in the middle, rising a good five hundred feet up. "Hey, I'm back," she said to the front flap.

"Come in," replied a voice that, to Penny, was both alien and familiar.

"This is going to be weird, isn't it?" she asked Rose.

"Brace yourself. Don't have an identity crisis on me."

The group entered through the flaps. Ren approached a nearby table and set his duffle bag down. "We couldn't find much, but we did find a few components that might be of use to us." Carefully, he dumped the contents onto the table; a myriad of computer and radio parts clattered about.

Standing before them, turning to see what Ren had brought, was another Penny. This Penny, like the Shifter, hadn't aged at all. Instead, bits of her fake skin seemed to be peeling off as some sort of battle scars across her body. She wore khaki trousers in place of her normal one piece dress, with a long sleeved green shirt. The right sleeve, as well as all the flesh from that arm, was completely gone, exposing the metal endoskeleton underneath.

Her metal hand picked up a couple of the parts and began to analyze them; Shifter Penny had started doing the same from a distance without realizing what was going on. She stopped herself and shook her head, giggling internally at her self induced confusion. "Yes," this world's Penny said with a slight smile. "I _might_ get the radio working with this."

"Might?" Yang asked.

"No promises. We have to fix one problem at a time, and each time we fix something we find another thing that's broken. It's all trial and error at this point."

"Fingers crossed, then," Ren said with a smile. "We need medicines and food; bad."

"I still think the radio is a bad idea. It's just going to draw more attention to us. We shouldn't needlessly put ourselves at risk."

"And we shouldn't let this community starve to death," said the bare armed Penny. She looked over and saw Penny and Rose standing side by side; her eyes locked onto Penny. "Well...that's interesting."

"Sorry for the intrusion," she replied. "And the confusion."

"Which Murakumo are you? I didn't think they duplicated any of our appearances."

Penny gave a nervous smile. "Uh, well...about that."

This world's Penny's eye's shifted in intent and stared her down with mistrust. "Command Prompt: Force Identification. Authorization: Lambda_11-30955. Identify yourself."

Penny felt the strangest of sensations as she was forced to reply to the statement. "This unit is identified at the product of Dr. Issac Asimov, manufactored at Site Lambda. Unit Designation: Lambda_11, serial number 11-30955-P. Unique Designation: Penny." Her tense body relaxed and she slumped over, taking a gasping breath. "It's been a while since I've had _that_ happen."

"So," Ren said curiously. "She has the same serial number as you, Penny."

"That's not possible. I'm the _only_ unit that Site Lambda built."

"That's true," Shifter Penny replied. She explained the situation, and why she was on this particular Remnant. She even showed this world's Penny the mathematical formula she used to access the Labyrinthus.

"Is that a good idea?" Rose asked as the group looked on in confusion at the seemingly unreadable equation.

"None of them can use it. I'm the only one who currently can. The calculation would take too long for a normal mind, and without magic this world's Penny won't be able to access the Labyrinthus." She turned to this world's residents with a smile. "We're sorry to bother you. We wanted to see this particular commitment through to the end before we left. Weiss isn't here, so we shouldn't be either."

She turned and started to leave the tent. "Wait!" this world's Penny shouted, causing them to pause. "Can...can you help us?"

Penny smiled at herself, an odd experience, and shook her head. "I'm afraid not. My organization has an absolute law; the Law of No Interference. I can't alter your path, for good or bad. You have to make it through this on your own." The three natives all slumped, disappointed. "You'll do fine. You've lasted this long."

"Yeah," Yang said with a harsh laugh. "We've enough food for two, _maybe_ three weeks. And that's with strict rationing. After that? We're fucked."

"You don't know that," Rose said. She stepped forward and looked into Yang's eyes. "No one knows the future. Not even Weiss does. Every world we've been too has been different. Some in small ways, some in little ways. This community of yours? It may be struggling, but its one of the better ones I've seen these past three months of world hopping. Don't lose faith." She put a hand on Yang's shoulder. "You can pull this off." With those words, she returned to her Penny who began the spell to Shift away from this universe.

When they landed, they were in an empty, snow covered field. Rose stepped away from Penny, not facing her, and took a deep breath. "They're going to die, aren't they?"

"Most likely. Marauders, Grimm, and a depleating resource pool; their survival isn't very likely."

Rose kicked a small pile of snow in anger, growling to herself all the while. "I hate that law."

Penny smiled. "I do too." She approached Rose and placed an arm around her. "You know that small pouch you carry in your backpack?"

"What about it?"

"I might have taken it while you were talking to Yang." She smiled widely. "And then I left it." Rose gasped, and returned the smile in kind.

* * *

 _False Remnant #55,437, Settlement Shard_

 _Penny (55,437)_

The rainbow flames died away, leaving the three in the tent alone to ponder. "What the hell is going on?" Yang asked in a hushed voice. "Gah! I hate this! I can't wrap my head around it!" She kicked a folding chair over, kicked it upright again, and then sat in it with her head in her hands.

"If they aren't allowed to help, there's nothing we can do," Ren said calmly, putting a hand on Yang's shoulder. "We should rest up. I'll see you in the morning."

"Yeah," Yang muttered. "Tell the missus I said hi."

Ren chuckled softly. "Nora insists on naming the baby after all of our fallen team mates, you know."

"Please, for the love of god, do _not_ let her name that child after _all of them_. Just pick one!"

"I'll tell her again. Good night, Yang. Good night, Penny."

"Night."

"Good night, Ren," Penny said. She turned and went back to repairing an old military radio set.

Ren approached the tent flap, ready to walk out, when something on the ground caught his eye; a small pouch. Arching an eyebrow, he picked it up. "Penny, did you drop this by accident?"

"Hm?" she asked, glancing over from her work. "What's in it?"

He opened the pouch, and he was rendered speechless. Inside were several white bottles, labeled with the chemical names of several different antibiotics. A tear rolled down his cheek before he came back to reality and ran over to the women to show them what the Shifters had left them.

* * *

 _False Remnant #10,435,793: The Emerald Forest_

 _Weiss_

Weiss's jacket had been torn off in the battle, exposing her bare shoulders to the wild strikes of Cerberus. She was covered in cuts and gashes, but nothing life threatening. She was running ragged, and had used up much of her energy casting spells and glyphs to evade and attack from a distance. The battle with the three headed Grimm had lasted five and a half hours, easily. _Just a little more_ ¸ she thought. _He's a living being. It'll happen soon. I just have to persist._

Throughout the battle she'd felt a light tug on the back of her mind; proof that her summoning of Ouroboros hadn't been broken. The snake was trapped _inside_ Cerberus. Now she was playing the long game, waiting for her sign to strike.

"You were a fool to come here," Cerberus said for the millionth time.

She groaned. "Not to self; don't _ever_ fucking summon you! You're worse than the snake!"

"Be gone, human!" he cried, ignoring her as he pounced, but as he attempted to leap from the ground, she noticed that one of his feet slipped.

 _There!_ Glyphing out of the way, she placed herself beneath the great Beowolf. She ignited Myrtenaster, setting it ablaze, and lunged into his torso.

"Aaaaaaargh!" it cried.

"Ha!" Weiss cheered. "Can you hear me, Ouroboros?" She could hear no response, but a part of Cerberus's stomach bulged. "Great! Rip him apart!"

Without warning, Cerberus exploded into two halves; the source of the sundering was Ouroboros in his true form. The snake, easily the same size as Cerberus, couldn't be contained when Weiss altered his size, and came out via forceful eruption. Weiss laughed as the two halves landed, destroying the grass and uprooting trees in the turmoil. She placed a hand upon the white scales of Ouroboros's spiritual body. "Good work," she said cheerily.

"Warn me next time, _Witch_!" the snake replied loudly.

She approached the heads of Cerberus, which were still breathing. Just what she wanted; she needed to perform the final blow herself to claim his spirit. "Any last words, Cerberus?" she asked with a sadistic smile upon her lips.

The right and left heads were limp; they were already brain dead. The central head stared into her eyes with fear. "You...are a witch!"

She smiled. "You're god damned right I am!" She plunged Myrtenaster deep into his skull, twisted it, and snapped the blade in her glee. Cerberus began to fade from existence, flaking away piece by piece, and Weiss began to twirl and dance and laugh. "I've never felt so alive! This is what I'm meant to do! This is why I can't just stay dead!"

Ouroboros slithered up to her. "I've...never seen you so happy and energetic."

She laughed before she spread her arms out and fell backwards into the grass. The sun was setting as she lay there staring at the sky, watching the stars appear one by one. She kicked off her boots and dug her toes into the grass and dirt as she seemed to sink into a relaxed state. "Two down, four to go." She looked up at the giant snake before her. "We'll get the rest, Ouroboros. We'll do it together."

"Am I to take that as a form of 'I love you'? Am I your friend now?"

"Oh, you hurt me, Ouroboros. You've been my friend for a while now. I've got nothing left in my life except for monster killing, and the spirits of the monsters I kill." She sat up to look him in the eyes. "Don't worry. You'll always be my favorite. Cerberus can't compete with you."

"I wouldn't know. You made him _swallow_ me."

"Now now, don't be mad." She stood up and folded her hands behind her back. "I'll actually let you fight next time. How's that sound."

"It should sound _dreadful_ ," he said disdainfully. "Yet, surprisingly, it is exciting. I'll hold you to your word." He glanced over at the two halves of Myrtenaster, laying in the grass where Cerberus's body was. "You'll need a new sword."

"No, she won't," came a voice from behind Weiss that neither of them had noticed. Surprised, she turned around and was face to face with Ozpin. "You won't be needing anything."

 _Bang_.

The sound of a black powder, muzzle loaded flintlock echoed throughout the forest. Weiss looked down; he was holding the pistol to her heart when he pulled the trigger. "But...my Aura..." she muttered as she stumbled backward and fell to the ground, bleeding from a huge hole in her chest.

"You fought for nearly six hours, Weiss; you exhausted your Aura ages ago."

"Bastard!" Ouroboros yelled. Reeling back to strike, he made to attack Ozpin with his teeth. His body stopped short, just shy of the man's face. Ozpin, to his credit, was unfazed. "How are you stopping me?"

"I'm not," he said. "Your summoner is dying. You are fading in an effort to prolong her life. Any moment now she will pass, and you will fade away into nothingness."

Weiss looked at Ozpin from the ground with an angry scowl on her face. "Why?"

He met her gaze with a sad expression. "I didn't want to do this, Weiss. But you are too dangerous. Your outlook on life has changed since you began your cycle. You no longer care for living, or the lives of others. I can't let you risk the lives of my students and people because of some vendetta against the Master Units." He adjusted his glasses and put the pistol into his jacket. "This way, you won't put any unwanted attention on us. With Cerberus dead, the other Master Units aren't likely to come this way. I'm sorry, Weiss, but while you will wake up in a few moments, the rest of us _won't_ after we die."

Weiss smiled at him; it was a cruel smile. "I'll kill you for this."

"The other Ozpin's aren't guilty of murdering you. Just me. Can you truly take the life of an innocent man."

She chuckled, resulting in her coughing up blood. He flesh was pale and gaunt, and light finally left her eyes; she was dead.

Ouroboros looked and saw that his tail was dissentigrating. He turned to Ozpin and chuckled. "Yes."

"I beg your pardon?"

"The answer is yes. When she wakes up, she'll kill you in that world. Innocent or not, she won't care."

Ozpin stared at the snake. "All the better that she is gone from my world, then. This is _my_ Remnant. I do not care for any other worlds."

Ouroboros began to retort, but found that he hadn't the strength to speak. Soon his vision faded from him as the rest of his body turned into nothing. Ozpin turned around and began to walk back to Beacon, leaving Weiss's body in the forest. "God, forgive me."

* * *

 _Song: Still in the Dark - Daisuke Ishiwatari (from Guilty Gear X: Millia vs Zato theme)_

 **Author's Note**

Holy shit! Over five thousand words this time! I don't write a chapter this long usually, and here's why I did this one. I wanted this chapter to end with Weiss killing Cerberus and then dying as well (thus the use of _Still in the Dark)_ , but I didn't feel I was able to write 2500+ of only a single fight, so I bounced between Weiss and the dynamic duo. I then realized I wanted to do some story fluff for their story arc, and by the time Penny left the medicine I was at 3000 words. Fuck it, I'm committed. So, here's a 5000+ chapters.

Also...

 **MERRY CHRISTMAS!**

So, I had an idea; what if I wrote a series of side stories based on the _failed_ Remnants? Not full blown stories, just little tidbits from some of the worlds we've seen? Who wants to see Roman and Ruby fall in love? Or why Cardin is wearing Jaune's hoodie? Or any other variation I've concocted of this convoluted story that's followed me for three fucking stories. I can't seem to kill it!

Let me know what you think, please! Leave a review, a PM, or a comment on Reddit! Tell me what you thought of this story, or how you feel about some side stories.

Fun Fact: I had a pretty fun Christmas, even if I _did_ misplace my sister-in-law's gift for two hours.

Till next time!


	8. Chapter 7: Remember

Chapter 7: Remember

 _False Remnant #10,435,794: Beacon Academy_

 _Weiss_

 _Weiss gasped awake, sitting upright instantly. Looking around the room, she saw that the rest of team RWBY was still asleep. Not wanting to cause a scene, she stood and left the dorm. She made her way to the roof alone, making sure that all the lights were still off before she slammed her fist into the metal door behind her, putting a small dent into it and bruising her hand. "Damn him!" she shouted angrily._

 _Taking a deep breath, she tried to calm herself. Concentrating, she willed Ouroboros to existence once more. The master King Taijitu sprung into the world in a small flash of light as she summoned him into a small form. He looked around himself confused and flicked at the air. "How long have I been unsummoned?"_

 _"Not long. A few minutes at most. You should have dissipated after I died. What's the last thing you remember?"_

 _"Ozpin shooting you. I was unable to attack him." The snake's head drooped. "I am sorry."_

 _"Don't worry about it," Weiss said with a hint of anger. "I'll make him pay eventually." She placed her hand over her heart where Ozpin had shot her; it seemed to still ache. "We have work to do, Ouroboros. Let's go."_

 _The snake slithered up her leg and rested himself inside of her shirt where he'd grown accustomed to hiding from others. "As you wish, Witch."_

Weiss strode calmly through the empty streets of Vale as the snow fell in the night, blanketing the nearly dead world in a cold blanket. She wore a pair of white jeans, thick winter boots, and a large white wool coat. Ouroboros was coiled around her neck as a sort of scarf with his head resting on her shoulder.

It had been nine months since she'd awoken from being killed by Ozpin. That night she'd packed her gear and abandoned Beacon altogether; team RWBY never saw her leave, nor did she tell them where she was to go. Not that it mattered. Ozpin may have wrongfully killed her, but he was right; she'd stopped caring about the lives of those around her, and for some reason that scared her more than she thought it would.

She hadn't been at Beacon these last nine months, having left the Vale area for quite a long time. Only five months ago she'd been in Mistral after hearing rumors of a massive boar Grimm terrorizing the survivors; Calydonian. With the help of Ouroboros and Cerberus she successfully tracked him down and dispatched him, adding the pig to her collection. A month after that she'd been in Menagerie to hunt Scorpius, the master Deathstalker. It, too, fell to her power. Each Master unit seemed weaker than the last to her as she began claiming their power for her own.

After all these months she still only kept Ouroboros in material form, dismissing Cerberus after she used him in the battle and not even summoning Calydonian or Scorpius. After nine months she'd finally returned to Vale because the next on her list had reared his face at last; Callisto the Ursa.

Weiss paused, looking around at the ruined city before her. "How many died this time?" she asked aloud.

"I wouldn't bother counting," Ouroboros answered. "I truly wish Harbinger had never returned."

"So you wish you'd never been born?"

The serpent scoffed. "What's left of you that is human has rubbed off onto me, Witch. My mind is a part of yours, after all. Do not judge me now that I have grown a conscience."

She shook her head. "Look at it this way; thanks to us, this world no longer has to fear the two of the Master Units. Word has it that Cerberus was killed not too long ago by the remnants of the Beacon force. That just leaves three of the six."

"True," he agreed. "But the worst of us all is still out there. Nidhogg can bring it all crumbling down."

"Well, we'll kill him soon enough. I have four of you now."

"And soon to add Callisto, it seems." Ouroboros chuckled. "You truly are a witch."

The ground beneath Weiss's feet began to rumble rhythmically, as though something large was moving. "Right on time. Here she comes."

A building a hundred yards away exploded into a pile of rubble and bricks as the gargantuan bear rounded the corner. It scanned the area before its gaze landed on Weiss. "My, I didn't expect there to be anyone else left. What a bother," it said in a slow, lazy, female voice.

Weiss smiled and calmly approached the bear. "You act as though you can't be bothered to kill me, Callisto."

It seemed to raise an eyebrow. "You know me?"

"I know all of you."

"What a nuisance."

"She seems a bit uncouth," Ouroboros said. "And she has rude manners."

"I had hoped that all the humans were already dead so that I could sleep here. I'd prefer to sleep. But now I have to kill you. How taxing."

"Very much the embodiment of laziness. Sloth even," Weiss agreed. She drew Myrtenaster and heated the blade with her fire magic. "Let's go, Ouroboros!"

"Of course!" The serpent leapt from her neck and grew to his full size, striking at the bear and slamming into several buildings, coating the area in a layer of concrete dust.

* * *

Penny and Rose marched through the cold field, trotting through the snow uncomfortably. "You know," Rose began. "I hate to admit it, but we've been here for all of an hour and I hope that Weiss isn't here. It's far too cold!"

Penny, untouched by the freezing temperatures, merely laughed. "Suck it up, Rose. You'll live."

"I hope your joints freeze," she said coldly.

"Ouch." The two Shifters began to climb up a hill when they heard the sounds of destruction from the other side. "What was that?"

"I don't know," Rose answered. Sharing a brief glance, the two women raced up the hill. On the other side was the city of Vale. The city was dark without power, but the two Shifters could clearly see the dust cloud of a felled structure. "A battle?"

"Perhaps." Penny focused her eyes and gasped. "There's a giant white snake fighting a giant bear Grimm."

"Are they Master Units?"

"Probably." She paused, glancing towards Rose. "But I've never seen a solid white Grimm before.

Rose gasped next as she watched the battle rage. "That looked like fire magic!"

"What!" Penny exclaimed, returning her attention to the battle. Streaks of red and orange whizzed by and rammed into the giant bear. "You're right! But who could be casting it? It doesn't look like it came from Dust!" She stared intently, but the battle of beasts and the dust in the air wouldn't let her focus. "Damn it! We have to get closer."

"Do we, though?" Rose asked.

"The caster might need our help! _Two_ Master Units fighting in the same city can't be good, Rose. Let's go."

"Alright. But we're booking it the first chance we get!" The pair of them, using their own magic to aid, ran as fast as they could. They were surprised by the city's lack of Grimm activity, but also thankful that they wouldn't be required to fight too much either. Without getting too close, the two of them jumped and climbed atop a nearby building to get a better vantage point. Penny stood closer to the edge than Rose, who asked, "What can you see now?"

Penny stared intently at the battle, forcing her mechanical eyes to focus harder and harder. A white blur zoomed through her field of vision. _Could it be?_ She searched for the blur until she saw it again, this time accompanied by a Glyph. "Weiss!" she exclaimed.

"Are you sure?" Rose asked.

"It has to be! She's using Glyphs! We have to help her!"

"Alright." Rose holstered her guns and brought her hands together.

"Finally bringing it out?"

"I love my Forty-Fives, but they're useless against Master Units. I need it." She closed her eyes for a moment, and when they opened again her green eyes had turned purple with the pupils taking the shape of a four pointed star; her Oculis spell used to enhance her vision. Then Penny noticed that the black rose shaped tattoo that she bore seemed to be melting into liquid shadow, sliding down her arms and forming in her palms. Jerking her hands apart rapidly, the shadow solidified and revealed its true form; a black bladed scythe with a silver handle. Rose took a deep breath and held the blade close to her chest for a moment. "I'm sorry, love," she muttered.

"Darkstar would understand. He'd want you to use it."

"I know," she replied. "But I hate to use it. It's all I have left of him." She shook her head and readied herself for battle. "Let's go."

* * *

Callisto slammed into Weiss with the pack of her paw, forcing the huntress to slide across the snowy ground. She took a deep breath and regained her composure. "Hold her, Ouroboros! Give me an opening!"

"I'm working on it!" the snake shouted back.

"Fuck!" Weiss muttered. She gripped Myrtenaster tightly and willed the blade to ignite into flames. "She'll be mine." She began to charge into the fray once more when she saw movement in her peripheral vision. Assuming it to be a Grimm that she'd missed, she halted her assault and poised herself for defense; instead, she saw Penny and another unknown woman leaping into the fray. "What the hell?"

"Rose, go! I've got Weiss!" Penny shouted.

"Roger!" the other woman, Rose, replied as she leapt towards the beasts with a scythe in hand.

Penny landed next to Weiss and placed a friendly hand on her shoulder. "Are you okay, Weiss?"

Weiss stared at her in confusion. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to break your curse," she replied matter of factly.

"My curse? How do you..." Her eyes went wide as she gasped. "You're the Penny who became a Shifter!"

Penny nodded. "I've been digging through the Multiverse to find you. Been at it for three months. I didn't expect to find you so fast."

Weiss shook off her surprise and returned to her combat posture. "Tell your friend to leave the snake alone. He's mine."

"You intend to kill it by yourself?"

"No. I already have. I meant that he is _mine._ He belongs to me, and he's fighting for me. Don't kill Callisto either. I have to be the one to kill her."

"Weiss, we need to get out of here so that we can..."

"Fix me later, Penny. I have other plans for now." She gripped her blade tighter. "Do as I say, or so help me I will kill myself and make you start your search all over."

Penny gasped. _What has happened to you, Weiss?_ "Fine. You get that, Rose?"

 _"Yeah!"_ she answered in Penny's ear. _"Leave the snake alone. Got it. Hyaah!"_ Her blade impacted Callisto, leaving a large gash.

"We'll follow your lead, Weiss."

"You're god damn right you are," Weiss stated harshly. Using a Glyph, she launched herself at the bear. "Now, Ouroboros, while she's distracted by the girl!"

"Of course!" The snake lunged at Callisto, striking at its neck and injecting it with his venom. Callisto roared in pain and was promptly silenced as the serpent coiled around her and flexed himself to restrain the monstrosity. "She's all yours, witch!"

Weiss fell from the air and landed on the bear's head. "You intend to destroy me?" she asked Weiss lazily. "How dreadful!"

"Fuck off!" Weiss shouted as she plunged her blade deep into the bear's skull, heating it up to roast the insides. She smiled and started to laugh. "Mine! Mine! Mine!" Callisto began to fall limp, so Weiss ripped the blade out and jumped to safety just as its corpse began to dissolve. She could feel Callisto's essence join her own, causing her laugh once more briefly. "Yes! Yes! Five down! I've killed five of you fuckers!"

Ouroboros shrunk back down to his pocket sized form and rejoined Weiss around her neck, resting his head upon her shoulder. "Do not celebrate just yet. That last one will be the toughest yet."

"Don't spoil the moment, Ouroboros! Nidhogg won't stand a fucking chance against us! Now we just need to wait for him to show his ugly face!"

Penny and Rose approached Weiss, unsure of what to make of her. "What's happened to you, Weiss? What's going on?"

Weiss paused and turned to face the pair. She ignored Rose and stared harshly into Penny's eyes. "So, the young immortal arrives to save the princess. Was it funny, watching me grow old and die of cancer?"

Penny gasped. "Weiss, I didn't-"

"Of all the ways I've died, cancer was by far one of the most painful. At least you eventually lose feeling when you burn alive. You pass out from blood loss, so that's not too bad. Cancer? You're not even real, Penny, so I don't expect you to understand the feeling of your organs shutting down one after the other. Imagine your body killing itself very, _very_ slowly, Penny."

"Weiss, that was forty years ago for me. I had no idea that you were caught in a time loop. If I had known, I would have saved you back then. I swear it."

Weiss approached the mechanical girl slowly, placing a hand on the girls chin. "So you're, what, about a hundred and something now?" Penny nodded. "I've lived millions of lives, Penny. Not like you or Ozpin who can't die naturally, either. I've died. I've died millions of times. It's not pleasant. You don't know how much I wish I could die and actually _stay dead_. I _want_ to rot. I _want_ to fade away. I _can't_. Can you fix that, Penny?"

"My colleagues...they fixed Ruby when it happened to her. They can fix you too."

Weiss laughed coldly, making the Shifters feel uncomfortable. "I appreciate the offer. I really do. But I have a dragon to slay."

"Witch," Ouroboros interrupted. "They are offering you salvation. Do not throw it away so lightly. Is Nidhogg truly that important to you?"

"It talks!" Rose exclaimed.

"And I hear, girl. I can kill you in an instant, child. Do not tempt me." He turned to Weiss. "Answer me, Witch. Do you not wish to be free? To be free to die?"

Weiss stared at the snake angrily for a moment before a light smile crossed her lips. "You're right, Ouroboros. But if I am mortal when I face Nidhogg, and I die, that's the end of it. He must die _before_ I do. He will be mine, Ouroboros. I swear it." She turned to Penny. "You can follow me, or you can wait until I die again and start searching for me once more. I don't care which. I have a dragon to hunt. She turned and began to walk away.

Ouroboros turned to face Penny, a look that seemed pleading on his snake face. Penny nodded, having grown angry herself with Weiss's disposition. "I don't have time for this," she said. She grabbed Rose by the hand and dashed after Weiss, placing a hand on her shoulder. "You're coming with me. _Now_!"

A flash of rainbow light erupted from the ground. "What!?" was all Weiss could mutter as the flames engulfed the trio, launching them through the Labyrinthus.

* * *

 _Song: Remember - Disturbed_

 **Author's Note**

I didn't expect to finish another chapter so soon, and I'm afraid that the pacing of the story seems to have sped up. But, admittedly, I was running out of ideas for how to stretch the middle out. We're closing in on our climax. It'll be a few more chapters. I'd like at least 50,000 words if possible, but I'll settle for 45,000 if need be. I hope you all had a Merry Christmas!

Please, leave a review or a PM to let me know what you think. Personally, I feel like the story is going down hill, but I'm still having fun writing it so I guess it doesn't matter.

Fun Fact: I did absolutely nothing on 12-26-16. I lazed about all day, and it was _fantastic_!

Till next time! :D


	9. Chapter 8: Open Up

Chapter 8: Open Up

 _True Remnant: Beacon_

 _Azure_

Several months had passed since she'd begun her watch of Gamma Site's sarcophagus chamber, the hole leading into the Labyrinthus sitting calmly in the center. Just a few weeks ago she'd chosen her own name, with Lady Garnet's permission of course; Azure. Her orange visor displayed various mathematical equations that she solved one by one. They served no purpose for her, say to pass the time. She had nothing better to do. The beautiful thing about numbers was that there was an infinite way to process them. She'd solve one equation, create a random algorithm, and start anew. She averaged about thirty equations every five minutes, since she was pacing herself.

She was in the middle of solving one such equation when her sensors started to beep. One large, flashing notification popped up in her field of view; INCOMING SIGNAL.

 _Sister Unit Lambda must be arriving_ , she concluded with a smile. The visor lifted so that the arriving party might gaze upon her beautiful eyes, and she poised herself into a welcoming posture. The tear in reality began to pulse and fluctuate before it exploded in a wave of rainbow light, enveloping the room in its glory. When it faded, the tear itself had vanished. In its place stood Penny, Rose, and a white haired human woman; Azure's files recognized the woman as Weiss Schnee, causing her to smile reflexively.

Weiss was being held by Penny, and Rose's face seemed surprised at the sight of the two friends in their seemingly hostile embrace. The heiress broke away violently, turned to Penny and pointed Myrtenaster at her throat. "What the fuck do you think you're doing? You're ruining everything!"

"I'm _saving_ you, Weiss! Or would you rather spend all of eternity walking about the Multiverse, forever stuck in your own personal Purgatory!"

Weiss lowered her rapier, rushed towards Penny, and grabbed her by the collar. " _You_ don't get to make that call! I almost had them all! It's the only thing that I've cared about for countless lifetimes! How _dare_ you!"

Penny didn't resist as she stared Weiss in the eyes. She stared curiously into those icy blue orbs, searching them for what was left of Weiss's soul. What she saw was sad, broken, and devoid of all hope. Penny's gaze softened. "I'm sorry I didn't know sooner, Weiss," she said with sadness in her tone. "It's been over forty years since you died here, on this Remnant. If I had known fifty years ago, I would have spared you all this torment."

Weiss scoffed. "Because death by _cancer_ was the way that I should have went?" She spat. "I died slowly here. In agony."

"Cancer treatment has come a long way since 4398. We know what kind of cancer you had, and we know that it was genetic. Let me eliminate the Cycle, and then we can prepare you a proper cancer treatment before it develops. Nidhogg isn't important."

"Nidhogg is _everything_!" Weiss cried angrily.

Rose jumped between the two of them, shoving them apart. "Enough! Look at the two of you! You're supposed to be friends! Weiss, shouldn't you be happy that we're breaking you free from the Cycle?"

"Not yet. Not until I've killed them all."

"You don't need to anymore, Weiss! Why can't you just-"

"It's a matter of _pride_ , Penny! What would you know? You're just a pile of nuts and bolts!"

Penny was hurt by the statement, and before she could react Rose had already slapped Weiss. "That's _enough_!" Weiss's left cheek was reddened as she stared daggers into Rose. "If you want to die so badly, I'll be happy to oblige you _after_ we cure you."

"I see the mission was a success!" Azure said with a smile, oblivious to the situation before her. For the first time since they'd arrived, the three women finally noticed the Synthetic guardian. "Lady Garnet will be pleased."

Weiss stared at Azure before turning to Penny. "Friend of yours?"

Penny shook her head. "Who are you?"

"I am called Azure. My Murakumo designation is Gamma-3. It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Lambda. I've been waiting for your signal, per Lady Garnet's orders."

Penny's expression went dark. "That stupid, _stupid_ girl."

"What?" Rose asked.

"Garnet found _and completed_ Gamma. I doubt she has full control over it as of now, and I doubt it's had time to fully flesh out its personality if it's been locked up down here waiting for us." She shook her head. "Can you call Garnet here, Gamma?"

"Why didn't you use my name?" Gamma asked.

"You don't know who you are yet, Gamma. Let me speak to Garnet."

Azure stared blankly at Penny, tilting her head in though. "Very well," she said after a time.

Before she could start the call, Ouroboros poked his head from Weiss's shirt. "It's never a dull moment, Witch. I would appreciate it if you slowed the madness down a bit."

Azure saw the serpent and froze in place. _Oh no,_ Penny thought. "Get back!" she shouted at the top of her lungs.

Azure's visor locked into combat position in front of her eyes, and her left arm transformed into a small cannon of sorts. "Unidentified subject detected. Parameters checked...does not match pre-established persons of interest. Mission orders state, 'If anything that isn't Penny, Rose, or Weiss comes through, destroy it.' Combat mode engaged." The cannon began to charge with a bright blue energy.

"Fuck!" Weiss shouted.

"Damn it!" Rose muttered.

The cannon fired.

* * *

 _Garnet_

The headmistress of Beacon was calmly patrolling the grounds, sipping lightly from a mug as she moved about the campus. _Today is a-_

The ground shuddered beneath her feet; a shallow explosion. Some of her students were present and were giving concerned and confused looks.

 _Not good!_ She thought. She threw her mug to the ground, shattering it in the process. She reached into her blazer and pulled out a six shot revolver as she darted towards the main clock tower. Hopping into the elevator, she pressed a small red button on the panel; campus wide audio was now turned on.

"All students, this is an emergency! Arm yourself and take up a defensive position around the central clock tower! Prepare for battle!" Mashing the button off, she rode the elevator down the shaft with her pistol, Moulin Rouge, at the ready. "Why now? Why today!?"

* * *

 _Weiss_

The dust settled from the explosion; she, Penny, and Rose were all unharmed. Penny had leapt in front of Weiss and shielded her with her blades, and Rose seemed to be casting a magical barrier of sorts. "We're all on the same side, Gamma! Stand down!" Penny shouted.

"Unidentified target still active; resuming combat protocols." She began to charge another salvo of the cannon.

"Not good!"

"Fucking move!" Weiss shouted. "I can take her!"

"I can't risk you dying again, Weiss! I don't want to search for you all over again!"

"Then do something, damn it!"

Penny growled low and angrily, not wanted to do what she knew must be done. Ignoring her feelings, she leapt at Gamma and swung her swords together at the cannon. In a single slicing motion, the cannon flew off from Gamma's elbow, powered down, and landed on the hard floor with a thud. Penny grabbed Gamma by the throat and hoisted her up to restrain her. "I said _stand down_! Or I'll remove the other one!"

"Primary weapon offline," Gamma said. "Calculating. Calculating. Calculating."

Penny scoffed, throwing the Murakumo to the grown, turning, and walking towards Weiss. Rose lowered her barrier and stared at the broken machine curiously. "What is she doing?"

"Calculating. Calculating. Calculating."

"She's trying to figure out her odds of surviving this encounter, while also completing her mission," Penny said, shaking her head. "Garnet had no idea what she was doing. Gamma isn't complete; she's broken. No one alive can fix her except for Neo and myself."

The elevator outside the room went _ding_ , signalling that someone had arrived. The door into this room was in pieces from the cannon blast as well, so the group saw plainly as Garnet herself climbed over the rubble with her revolver in hand. She saw Penny, Rose, and Weiss. "What happened?!" She asked urgently. "Did something follow you back?"

" _We're_ fine," Weiss said coldly.

Penny glared daggers into Garnet. "What did you _do_!?"

"What are you..." she saw Azure laying on the ground.

"Calculating. Calculating." She echoed over and over.

"What...what happened?"

"She attacked Weiss!"

" _Technically_ , she attacked Ouroboros," Weiss corrected.

"But I'm _attached_ to you, so she attacked you as well, Witch," the snake said sarcastically.

"I...what? A talking snake?" Garnet asked.

"Long story," Weiss said. "But, your toy seems to be broken."

"Why did you try to finish Gamma?" Penny asked.

Garnet stared at Penny, a mixture of confusion and relief on her face. "I wanted the Murakumo project. The concept alone is beautiful; perfect, programmable soldiers to defend the world! Why wouldn't I try to recreate it?"

"But we're _not_ perfect!" Penny snapped. "James Ironwood almost _died_ because the Lambda Unit went rampant upon activation!" There were tears in Penny's eyes. "Rho-17 killed _everyone_ involved in her construction! We were the only two to ever be activated because we simply _could not be trusted_!"

"But...but you serve Remnant. You protect us. Why would you-"

"The mistake they made was giving us sentience. We were self aware. Imagine waking up for the first time, and _everything_ floods your mind at once. You'd panic too. We didn't mean to hurt anyone, but it happened out of reflex. We were afraid!"

"That's not the case now! Gamma didn't do that! I programmed her myself!"

"You turned her into a doll with residual emotion. She's not sentient; she's an imitation."

Garnet's eyes went wide. "How could you tell?"

"A complete Murakumo would have stood down, or realized that they'd made an error. Look at her." They turned to face Gamma, who still sat there on the ground.

"Calculating. Calculating. Calculating."

"She's stuck in a loop that she can't break out of," Penny said sadly.

Garnet stood there for several minutes before she approached Gamma, kneeling down to embrace the mechanical girl. "Cancel subroutine," she whispered, activating a command phrase.

"Canceling," Gamma echoed. Her eyes went dark as she experienced a hard reset. When the orange color returned she looked around in a confused state. "What happened?"

"Nothing," Garnet whispered with a shake in her voice and tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry, Azure."

Gamma smiled. "You used my name!"

"I'm so sorry." The sound of the hammer cocking in her revolver reached Penny's ears; she forced herself to look away.

 _Bang._

Bits of wiring and metal bounced off of the wall behind Gamma, a large magnum caliber hole exposing her inner workings. The light once again faded from her eyes and she slumped over. Garnet stood up, wiping the tears from her own eyes. She holstered the pistol, bent over, and pried open a compartment on Azure's head, pulling out a hard disk drive. "I guess I messed up, huh?"

"You didn't have to do that," Penny whispered.

"No. I failed her, so I had to." She held up the hard drive. "But she's not dead. I can try again at some point." She pocketed the hard drive before turning to Weiss. "Welcome back, Weiss. It's nice to finally meet the woman that my Great Grandmother loved so dearly."

Weiss was caught off guard. "Great grandmother?"

"Ruby Rose," Garnet explained.

And for the first time in thousands of years, Weiss smiled a real smile.

* * *

 _Song: Open Up - Korn_

 **Author's Note**

Bit of a filler chapter, I suppose. I made a mistake and introduced plot lines that I really didn't have a whole lot planned for. This is the 3rd and final piece of the Gamma-3 story line that I introduced way back in chapter one. A bit anti climatic in my opinion. But, it needed to happen.

Not the best chapter, I admit. But, as long as I'm having fun I don't really care.

Fun Fact: I have nothing better to do...so I'm gonna go play Overwatch _while drunk!_

Till next time!


	10. Chapter 9: Liberate

Chapter 9: Liberate

 _True Remnant: Beacon_

 _Weiss_

The four women stood silently, and a little awkwardly in the elevator as it rose from the Gamma facility, ascending into the Beacon proper. Weiss stared at the floor counter climb slowly as she pondered her situation. For the first time what must have been thousands of literal years, she felt a cloud lift from her mind as though she had sobered up after an evening of hard liquor. Ouroboros slithered up Weiss' torso, a sensation that would have once disgusted her but now brought her an odd sense of comfort, and poked his head out of her shirt's collar. "What is on your mind, Witch?" he asked, gaining the attention of the other three women.

Weiss didn't meet the snake's gaze, but instead continued to stare at the floor counter. Her mind was a cluttered mess of mixed emotions; rage, joy, and depression to name a few. "I...I can't believe I'm _actually_ here."

"Here?" Garnet asked.

"It's like an echo. A distant memory at this point. The one world I liked. The _only_ Remnant where I lived a full life. I had a family here. I got to see my children grow up. I got to see my grandchildren! I thought...I thought this world was where it was all going to finally end." As she spoke the tears began to flow. "Even when I was in pain from the cancer eating away at my insides, I was genuinely happy. _This death will be my last_ , I kept thinking." She shook her head, punching the metal door in front of her angrily. "It was my Two-Hundred-Fifteen-Thousand-Four-Hundred-Fifty-Third death! I was a fool for thinking it was finally over. You'd think after two hundred thousand lives I'd have given up on hope forever!"

"Weiss," Penny stated.

"It's not even recent anymore! I've been through millions of lives! A total lifespan in the hundreds of thousands of years, maybe more!"

"No more, Witch," Ouroboros whispered.

"I'm so tired! I just want to fucking rest! That's all I've ever wanted!"

"No more, Witch."

"Why the fuck was I given this life to repeat!? For what reason do I persist, god damn it!?"

"No more, Witch!" Ouroboros yelled, delivering a disturbingly loud hiss for his size. "Enough, lest I pump you with my venom! I wouldn't kill you, but it would be enough to give you a pain that I _know_ you've never felt before!"

"Everyone, please," Penny said sadly. "Calm down. Weiss, little snake thing...please. Calm down." The others turned towards the robotic shifter, and were met with a scared, teary eyed girl. "You don't have to worry about it ever again, Weiss," she said reassuringly. "I can _cure_ you. This repeating life doesn't have to repeat ever again. You can live here, now, on this Remnant with your descendants. A long, happy life. When it does ultimately end, it will end for good, and you can move on to be with your lost friends and family in the great beyond. I can _fix_ this."

Weiss let her mind wander for a moment before replying. "I thank you for the offer, Penny. I truly do. But please understand; killing the Master Units was my only reason for doing anything up until today. Nidhogg is the last one on my list. I _must_ kill him before my true death."

"Then we'll kill it," Rose said out of the blue, causing all three of the other women to stare at her, lost. "The first Remnant we went to had Nidhogg standing over the ruins of Beacon. In theory, its mapped into Penny's mind."

"One of my hard drives, actually," the robot girl chimed. "But, yes. Yes it is."

"We'll go as a team, then," Rose continued. "We'll fix you _first_ , though. That way you'll have a reason to try and stay alive during the fight, and it'll give you a sense of urgency to try and win."

Weiss stared dumbfounded at the tattooed woman before turning her gaze to Penny. "You would... _help_ me fight the black dragon?"

Penny shrugged. "Why not? Dragon Grimm aren't _too_ different from Wraiths. Just a little fire breath is all that's different."

"I imagine the size difference is relevant," Ouroboros chimed playfully.

"Trying... _not_ to think of that."

"Ladies," Garnet said at last, breaking her own personal silence. "We've arrived." The doors slid open, revealing the main atrium of the school. "Weiss Schnee, as the current head mistress of Beacon Academy, I'd like to welcome you back." She turned and smiled her most brilliant smile to the white haired woman. "Welcome home."

"Unfortunately," Penny interjected. "We can't stay. We must return to the Thoughtspire for this to work properly."

"O-oh. Okay," Garnet lowered her head, dejected.

"T-tell you what," Weiss added. "When I'm fixed, and when Nidhogg is dead, I'll come back. You can show me what's new around the school, and tell me about my grandchildren.

"Tell you? Chya! While you're off killing dragons I'm going to be phoning it in! Nox is gonna _flip_ when he finally meets you!"

"Nox?"

"Your great grandson," Penny explained. He was born after you died. His full name is Noxus Weiss Schnee, and he's actually married to Blake's great granddaughter. They have a son, so you're officially a great great grandmother. He should be about five or six years old now, I think."

Weiss smiled happily, reflecting on raising her own children so many life times ago. "Yeah, I'll definitely come back to see them."

"Well, it's a date then!" Garnet cheered happily as she stepped off of the elevator, and Weiss realized in that moment how similar she was to Ruby. "Have fun!"

The doors closed, leaving Weiss alone with Penny and Rose. "Shall we?" Penny asked.

"Let's go," Weiss answered. Penny and Rose each grabbed one of Weiss' hands, and Penny used the same spell that she'd used to leave this universe, but on a much smaller scale by comparison, so that she could force Weiss' being from Remnant. The air around them popped violently as they were engulfed in rainbow flames.

In all of her millions of lives, Weiss had never felt nausea like she did in this moment of tumbling weightlessly through nothing, seeing only the seven colors of the spectrum dance around her wildly and in an unorganized fashion with no rhythm before her vision came back to her with another deafening pop, the rainbow flames dying away to reveal the impossible geometry of an alien structure; the Thoughtspire. She ripped her hands out of Rose's and Penny's, doubled over and vomited all of the grass in front of her. "That's... _new_ ," she muttered. "Haven't puked in a few thousand years."

"That's why I landed in the front yard instead of the council chamber. Didn't want you hurling in front of my boss," Penny said with a chuckle.

"God forbid your omnipotent fuckers have to clean something up." She stood up and stared at the imposing structure. "Not very subtle, are you?"

"Don't look at me," Penny said defensively. "I'm still _technically_ new here, compared to everyone else."

"Let's get this shit over with."

* * *

A few minutes later and the three of them stood in the main council chamber; the only member present was Lia herself, along with Felix the talking cat companion of hers. She watched as Penny strode into the chamber confidently with Rose and Weiss in tow, breathing a sigh of relief at the site. "You resolved this much sooner than I'd expected," she admitted. "Though, I am most certainly _not_ complaining."

"Lady Lia," Penny greeted with a respectful bow. "I'm afraid we'll be reentering the Labyrinthus again soon. Weiss has a personal vendetta against a dragon Grimm named Nidhogg."

"I...what?"

"Long story," Weiss said calmly. "I remember you. You're the woman who healed Yang all those years ago."

"Yes. While she couldn't fight or perform straining activities anymore, Penny told me that Miss Xiao Long lived a very pleasing and fruitful life."

"I guess you're fixing me too, then?"

"No, I am not. Penny is. She's the one who discovered the method. If I could do it I'd have done it to myself a hundred years ago."

"I was going to ask you if you wanted me to cure you, Lady Lia," Penny said.

"I appreciate the offer, and I will take you up on it...but only if my death is certain. The Cycle has an interesting side effect on me in that my foresight no longer works. I prefer it this way. Know the _exact_ future is more frightening than not knowing. I'll take my risks. Thank you, though."

"Of course. Shall we get started?"

"Please."

Penny turned to Weiss and held her hands out, beginning a verbal incantation in the process. Green magical holograms began to orbit the heiress before a bright read one burst from the space in front of her chest.

"∞ = 1"

The holograms seemed to dance around each other for what felt like ages before the red one exploded violently, being replaced by a green one.

"∞ = ∞"

Penny gasped for air, and the holograms disappeared. "It is done," she breathed. "Every new universe that is born will now house a version of you. When the current you dies, it will be permanent. You will not persist, and any _new_ versions of you born naturally throughout the multiverse will not carry your memories. You are, effectively, capable of dying once again, Weiss."

Weiss took a deep breath before sighing herself. "Th-thank you. Really. Thank you. I mean it." She shook her head. "I still don't understand _how_ this all happened to me."

"Penny," Lia said. "Show her."

"Are you sure? She's likely to just kill him," the mechanical girl cautioned.

"It's about time, honestly." Lia shrugged. "But I didn't say that. My official statement is that I had no knowledge of you releasing him from the Backyard, or that you took Weiss to him."

"Who?" Weiss asked. "Why do all the god damned god people play the fucking pronoun game?"

"Follow me, Weiss," Penny said flatly. "Come meet the man responsible for your millions of lives."

* * *

 _Song: Liberate - Disturbed_

 **Author's Notes**

Six months. Six months I haven't updated this story. I am so sorry. Work has sapped my energy. I've barely written a word of anything. I've designed a couple of _Dungeons & Dragons_ worlds, and I've written down probably 20 or so new story ideas for various projects, this one included, but I just haven't had the energy to actually write. I'm practically forcing myself to do this one, but it must be done!

That being said, I genuinely enjoyed getting back into the driver's seat of this AU. I think Ouroboros may have taken Roman's place as my favorite character to write for.

So, some creative updates here. I had most of this story planned out when I started it back in December 2015, but the ending was something I couldn't decide upon. Well, yesterday at work I had a beautiful idea for the ending, which is why I'm forcing myself to write this chapter. I will go to bed shortly after posting it, and when I wake up I will begin writing Chapter 10. It may be the best way to finally cap the _**Shifting Remnant AU**_.

As much fun as this trilogy has been, I'm ready to be done with it. I hate leaving projects unfinished. So, _fingers crossed_ , I would like to have _Observer_ finished by the end of August 2017. Don't hold me to it, but we're stupidly close to the ending. It shouldn't be _too_ hard to finish this trilogy.

Again, I'm sorry for going so long without an update, and to those of you who have put up with my later and later upload times; thank you. Thank you so much for reading. Please, leave a review or a PM.

Fun Fact: In addition to new _Observer_ ideas, I also got new ideas for _Free: A Feuding Remnant_. While I am quite ready to be done with _Observer_ , my concepts for _Free_ are much fresher and to me more interesting so I should ( _SHOULD_ ) be putting more of it out soon _ish_.

Till Next Time!


	11. Chapter 10: The Loop Closes

Chapter 10: The Loop Closes

 _?_

 _Crim_

 **"Attention!"** the synthetic, echoing voice of _That Bitch_ shouted in his ears. **"Iteration Five-Five-Seven-Six-Three has concluded. Beginning Iteration Five-Five-Seven-Six-Four!"** His eyes opened, and he was _there_ again; the emptiness of virtual space that collided with reality. Once, over a hundred years ago before the start of the Iterations, he had heard that the master of the Devastation, Fear, had developed his own private space to absorb Magicae from relics and living beings alike; Pandora's Box, he called it as a jab at ancient Earth culture. _This Place_ was what Crim had always imagined Pandora's Box might have looked like; empty, amorphous space.

Except it was completely empty. As soon as his eyelids broke apart, he saw _That Bitch_ everywhere. Hundreds, if not thousands of _Her_ "stood" in the empty space around him. Their eyes didn't match hers, though. They were hollow and emotionless, staring blankly into what was left of his spirit. "I-is that all you've got _You Bitch_?" he asked defiantly, though he could feel his fighting spirit beginning to break. "I've lived _billions_ of lives! Billions of billions! I was a god to mortal kind! You are _nothing_! The play thing of betters! An empty, useless _doll_! You can't harm me!"

 **"Iteration start!"**

Thousands of floating ethereal blades sprung forth into existence and rocketed towards his feeble body. He braced himself, unable to move or dodge out of the way as they all pierced his body, killing him. He let out an empty sigh as the breath escaped his lungs.

Mere seconds later the air filled his lungs once again as he sat on the floor of his cell, with the Black Rose and T _hat Bitch_ standing over him. "And I'll be standing here in your cell after every death you experience, completely oblivious to the time loop that you're in. You'll _beg_ me to break the curse, but I won't listen. I'll let you suffer for all of time." She smiled at him as the panic set in once again. "Goodbye."

"You Bitch!" He shouted as the rainbow flames engulfed him, and his eyes opened in the emptiness once again.

 **"Attention! Iteration Five-Five-Seven-Six-Four has concluded. Beginning Iteration Five-Five-Seven-Six-Five."**

He swallowed hard. He had no sense of time. He didn't know how long it had actually been since she placed him into this pocket dimension. "Bitch!" he shouted. "Please make it stop!" he begged before he realized what he had just said.

 **"No,"** the legion of voices echoed. **"Iteration Start."**

* * *

 _Thoughtspire_

 _Weiss_

"Where are we going?" Weiss asked, a true sense of curiosity overtaking her for the first time in centuries. Never before had she seen such an impossible structure, let alone walked its halls.

"Patience," Ouroboros muttered, poking his serpentine head out of her collar. "I sense that this will be... _pleasurable._ "

"To someone it will be, I suspect," Penny muttered under her breath."

"Is this a good idea, Penny?" Rose asked. "She's...she's more likely than not going to kill him."

"After what I've done to him, that would be a mercy," the automaton answered grimly. Spiraling upward an impossibly tall set of stairs, the three of them passed many a Shifter, and each one gave Weiss and her snake a curious gaze. Some of them, due to her stark white-almost-silver hair must have assumed she was a moderately practiced magic user who's eyes simply hadn't gone amethyst yet. She paid them no mind as she focused on Penny and Rose, trying to surmise what it was that they were doing.

After what must have been thirty or forty minutes of walking a maze, they stopped in front of a pale red door. Crudely painted with white paint, it read with just a single word. "Crim?" Weiss asked. "Is it a name?"

"Yes," Penny answered. Procuring a key from her pouch, she unlocked the door and opened it, motioning for Weiss to enter first.

Obeying, Weiss glanced around the empty room trying to understand what purpose it served. "It's completely empty," she said, confused.

"Not for long." The orange haired girl raised a single hand, casting an almost identical spell to the one that freed Weiss from her loop. A red hexagram lit up on the floor, and those same rainbow flames that Weiss saw earlier sprang forth. When they died, a thin and feeble man lay sideways on the stone floor as the hexagram faded.

His body was sickly thin, his eyes sunken and hollow, and his hair was long and white, though Weiss could see trace amounts of red in the roots still yet. He was positively revolting, and Weiss felt a shred of pity for him. He looked up at Penny and stared at her with wild eyes. "Say it," he said. "Say it like you always do. Ignore my please and send me back. Send me back or kill me _for real_ , you Bitch!"

"No," Penny said flatly. "I've pulled you out of the Backyard, Crim. We have something to discuss."

He glanced at Rose before his vision drifted towards Weiss. "W-Weiss Schnee!? Heh! Hahahahaha!" His whole body shook as he laughed, occasionally pausing to cough and hack grossly. "What a beautiful sight! How is my latest social experiment coming along, dear? How many lives have you lived? How many different ways have you died? Which was your favorite? Stabbing yourself in the jugular was quite _spectacular_! Unfortunately, after Ruby was _fixed_ I lost my ability to watch you, but I knew you'd be _great_!"

Whatever pity Weiss had felt for him dissolved in an instant. "Is it him?" she asked knowingly. "Is he the one who did this to me?"

"Yes," Rose and Penny said in unison.

"What is to be done with him?"

The two Shifters glanced at each other. "I believe Lady Lia intended that to be your prerogative," Penny whispered.

Weiss nodded. "Leave us." Without so much as a glance, the pair turned and left the room, closing the cell door to give Weiss privacy. "Tell me," she began once alone with the hideous man. "What was _your_ favorite way that I died?"

He laughed. "So...oh, so _many_ to choose from in the two hundred thousand or so that I saw. Dismemberment, mulitple suicides. _Oh_ , how about that one time you were captured by brigands looking for supplies to survive? That one was pretty early! Which life as it? Huh? Which one?"

Weiss' eyes narrowed in disgust. "That was somewhere in the four hundreds. I forget which one specifically."

"Yes, _yes_! Four hundred and thirty second, I believe! Hahahahaha! They beat and raped you over and over before feeding you to their dogs!" Weiss kicked him in the ribs with her boot, but he just laughed. "After what the Bitch put me through, you are a _treat_! Perhaps you are even my salvation! My way out of this wretched place!"

"Not a chance in hell, bastard!"

"I'm not so sure," Ouroboros whispered seductively. "Something about him tempts me, Witch. Something that elicits... _hunger_."

The heiress smiled. "You haven't eaten anything since before I killed you, have you?"

"Gluttony isn't my thing," the snake clarified. "That would be Cerberus. But still, I am... _tempted_."

Weiss kneeled down to be on Crim's level; it was now that she noticed how badly his body reeked. It was as though he hadn't bathed in centuries. "Then that is how I'll end your miserable existence, Crim." She reached forward and placed her right hand on his left shoulder. "You'll leave this place after all...as a part of Ouroboros."

The snake slithered into her shirt, down her arm, and poked its head out of her winter coat sleeve. Crim smiled, madness completely dominating his mind. "Sounds... _amazing_." Hissing, Ouroboros struck Crim on the neck, embedding his serpent's fangs deep into the tissue. Crim's smile faded as the pain washed over his entire body. Weiss had expected Ouroboros to grow in size and swallow the man whole like a python, but instead his fangs remained stuck fast in the flesh. A white light began to pulsate through the snake and into Weiss, and she felt a sense of ecstasy, not too dissimilar from an orgasm. The light pulsated faster and faster, and Weiss' breath quickened as Crim's body began to fade from existence.

Just as his form was about to completely dissolve the white light faded into the rainbow spectrum in one final pulse, knocking Weiss and Ouroboros backwards into the door behind them. Penny opened the door in a panic. "Weiss! Are you okay?"

Weiss lay on the floor, laughing with glee. "What just happened?" she asked. "My blood feels like a warm fire."

Ouroboros shook his head. "We've just... _taken_ something from him. That fire wasn't there before. Something ignited it."

"A spark?" Rose asked.

"Exactly!"

"They've...they've taken his _spark_!" the gunslinger said, shocked. "Weiss...you're a _Shifter_ now!"

Slowly she stood back on her feet, getting a feeling for her body. "Good," she muttered. "Let's go kill Nidhogg."

* * *

 _Song: The Loop Closes - How To Destroy Angels_

 **Author's Notes**

Getting close to the end! I made a bet with a co-worker that I would finish this story before August 1st, so I'm trying to do just that! The final notes and ideas that I've compiled for the story are already ready for use, I just need to find the time to write them as quickly as possible to make this bet a sure win! Barring that, the end will almost definitely be next month _at the latest_. This may be one of the shortest chapters, but that's just because I didn't want to jump from the Thoughspire straight into the Nidhogg fight in the same chapter. The Nidhogg chapter should be a decent one in length. Not as long as the Cerberus fight from _The Longest Night_ though...maybe. I'm not sure yet. I won't know for sure until I write it.

Also, this chapter was, according to my original layout of the plot and chapter titles, originally going to be called _Phantom Bride by Deftones_ , but I have since cut that song from the list and replaced with the eternally more fitting _The Loop Clsoes by How To Destroy Angels._ Why? Because it's Trent Reznor (guy behind Nine Inch Nails) and his wife. Always a great sound from him.

And I don't usually do this, but the name of the next chapter is _My Immortal by Evanescence_. It should be pretty great!

(Not) Fun Fact: I have to work tomorrow (7-29-2017) for a few hours before my department shuts down for the weekend. I'm not happy about it, but at least it's going to be nothing but Overtime.

Till Next Time!


	12. Chapter 11: My Immortal

Chapter 11: My Immortal

 _False Remnant #10,434,792: Beacon_

 _Nidhogg_

The world was just as he wished it would be. The sun had risen and set probably a dozen or more times since he turned Beacon into a pile of ash and rubble. If he were capable of smiling, his gaping maw would be disgustingly wide with glee. A low chuckle escaped from its mouth. "Burn," it muttered. "All will burn. All is ash. Burn. Burn. Burn."

Roughly four days had passed since he took this campus from the _filthy_ mortals who lived and studied here. The lesser Grimm that had gathered in that time were still gnawing away at the rotting flesh, yet the dragon was content to simply sit on his prize; unmoving and perfectly pleased with himself. Lying on the ground beneath him rested a silver rapier broken into two pieces, and the burnt flesh of what was once a white haired young girl who tried to oppose him; a fine addition to his collection of bones and trinkets, yet it did nothing to quell the deep seated rage from within.

He was calm and content for now, but a few more days the wrath would return, and he would be forced to find the next bastion of life to destroy. Part of him looked forward to it. He _yearned_ to release his burning anger.

As though summoned at the very thought, three pillars of flame erupted on the ground before him. Though pleasing to the sight, they confused him. He hadn't conjured them with his breath, and there wasn't an accelerant to catch from the nearby fires. What's more, the color was wrong.

The flames were of the rainbow.

* * *

 _Weiss, Penny, & Rose_

The flames died down, and Weiss saw _him_. Her own anger swelled, filling her with a lust for carnage. Her ravenous gluttony that drove her to destroy the Master Units was about to reach its end, which in a twisted way filled her with a sense of pride. In a way, she almost envied her younger self; when she died on this world not so long ago she had only killed Ouroboros, having not tasted the joy of destroying the rest yet. Nothing else interested her.

And with a mad smile upon her lips, she knew that nothing ever would. Today, she would get _everything_ that she ever wanted, and more.

The black dragon stared at her, his wrath seemingly delayed by shock. A low, deep, demented voice filled the air. "I burned you," Nidhogg stated.

"Wouldn't be the first time," Weiss retorted, Myrtenaster at the ready in her left hand.

"I shattered that blade."

"Ready?"

"As ever," Rose muttered, once again summoning the black bladed scythe of her lost lover.

"Don't die on me, Weiss."

The immortal huntress smiled wider. "Not yet," she whispered.

The dragon's black leathery wings spread as he prepared to take flight. "Burn!" he shouted, opening his infernal maw as orange flames licked at his own tongue.

"Ouroboros!" Without a word, the Master snake grew to his true titanic size and coiled around the three of them to create a spectral shield. The flames erupted and formed around his spiritual flesh without harm. When they died down all of the lesser Grimm began to charge in for the kill. "You two take the small shits. The dragon is _mine_!"

"I don't think that's a good-" Rose started.

"She's got it, let's go!" Penny shouted as she deployed her petal like blades. "This is what she's lived and died for. She can handle it."

Rose shook her head, readying her scythe. "If you say so. Hya!" With a single swipe of her black blade she beheaded a Beowulf. "Like Penny said, Weiss! Don't die now!" Leaping away, she began carving an opening in the horde of Grimm. Penny nodded without a word as she leapt in the opposing directed, clearing out the Grimm as she went.

Weiss, short and petit as she was, used a glyph to propel herself up until she landed atop Ouroboros' head so that she could stand at Nidhogg's eye level. "I've waited for this," she muttered. "For so long, you bastard. I've been waiting for this day."

"Only a fool wishes to burn twice."

She laughed. "Truthfully? I've lost count." Her grip tightened on her blade. "But for you lot? I'm five-for-five. Let's make that six, shall we?"

"So be it, _witch_!" the dragon shouted, and Weiss gritted her teeth.

"You've not earned the right to call her that _yet_ , draconian," Ouroboros said with a hiss. "She is _my witch_!" With that shout, he spat acidic venom at the dragon, who took flight to dodge as Weiss began to preemptively hurl fire and lightning at him.

* * *

 _Penny_

 _Just like Wraiths_ , she reminded herself as she cleaved Grimm after Grimm. Deathstalkers, Beowolves, and the occasional Nevermore all assaulted her whilst she eliminated them with ease. _Just like old times. Nothing to it. Don't worry._ She paused for just a moment to glance over at Weiss and found herself feeling genuinely impressed.

The Heiress was using Ouroboros' head as a bounding platform as she implemented her glyphs to bounce around Nidhogg, forcing him to stay lower to the ground and restricting his flight. _She's been thinking about this_ , she realized. _She's got it all figured out_. A Nevermore feather narrowly missed her, dragging her back to her own battle.

"Damn it!" she shouted, swinging her puppet-like blades to cut the devil bird in two. "Focus! Let's go!"

* * *

 _Rose_

With every swing of the black bladed scythe, Rose felt as though she were ripping a piece of her own heart out. Over a hundred years ago, during the war against Crim and his band of misfits, she'd witnessed her lover fall in battle whilst wielding this very same blade. It belonged on a wall mount with a framed photo of Darkstar, somewhere where everyone could know about his deeds and how many lives he saved by giving his own. To use it felt _wrong_ , but she knew he wouldn't feel that way.

He _gave_ it to her right before he took his last breath. He _wanted_ her to have it so that she could defend herself and others, just as he did. One, two, three swings and three Beowolf heads went flying. Four, five, six. Seven, eight, nine.

Before too much longer, she'd lost count. But it didn't matter. She wasn't here to keep score. She was here to buy Weiss time, and to help her kill that damned dragon.

Because with Nidhogg dead, the remaining survivors of _this_ Remnant had a better chance at living. Without realizing it, she'd activated her Oculis spell; her eyes glowed a bright purple, and her pupils became black four pointed stars. Time seemed to slow as she began to process everything that she saw at a super human speed. For every tiny crack in a Grimm's skull-like face that she saw, she killed three. Before she knew it the thrill of her previous battles kicked in, and she slowly began to enjoy herself.

 _This is for you, my love._

* * *

 _Weiss_

"We're winning, Witch!" Ouroboros shouted as he spat another round of acidic venom at the dragon, finally finding purchase with its left wing. The black beast roared in pain as its wing crippled, forcing him permanently to the ground.

His maw opened to release a torrent of flames. "Burn!"

"Fuck you!" Weiss shouted as she launched herself into the air with a glyph to dodge while Ouroboros harmlessly took the full blazing barrage. Casting one more glyph to hold herself aloft, she pointed at the ground with her right hand. "Meet my new friends, you son of a bitch!"

Penny, Rose, and Ouroboros watched in awe as four gargantuan blueish white glyphs formed, two on each side of the snake. "Yes!" the snake shouted.

"Whoa," Penny muttered.

"Holy shit!" Rose exclaimed.

A massive white, spectral paw burst from the ground of the first as the full grown might of a spiritual Cerberus clawed its way to life. The left and right heads barked angrily at the dragon while the middle seemed to smile. "At long last! A feast worthy of my _hunger_!"

Suddenly, a giant white boar leapt from another glyph. Seemingly hundreds of razor sharp teeth and six tusks protruded from its gullet, and its three eyes shone with a piercingly bright blue. "You call on me to defeat _this_? The beast is _nothing_ compared to my might!" it shouted, its voice prideful; Calydonian

A bright scorpion the size of a city block clawed its way into existence, its four pincers snapping wildly as its two stinger tipped tails twitched to and fro in anticipation. "You have power, Witch. _Great_ power," it muttered, with a hint of jealousy; Scorpius.

And lastly, the great bear Callisto sprang forth, though much slower than the others. Much less interesting in appearance, she seemed just as a normal bear, only the size of a six story tall building and a Schnee emblem emblazoned upon her head. "You own my spirit, witch? How bothersome," she whispered lazily.

Ouroboros looked up and into Weiss' eyes lustfully. "You are _beautiful_ , Witch. You've _earned_ this."

She smiled as she released the glyph that held her in the air. "Rip him apart! Bring that son of a bitch down for good!"

The five white, spectral Master Units descended upon Nidhogg as one, viciously shredding his flesh and ripping his limbs off as he screamed in agony. "No! Burn! Burn!" he shouted just as one of Cerberus' heads clamped down on his throat, silencing him. Casting more glyphs, Weiss accelerated her descent, falling faster and faster with her sword in hand.

"You! Are! _MINE!_ " she shouted, and her rapier made contact with Nidhogg's skull, sinking deep into its dark and twisted brain tissue.

Silence. The battlefield grew still as the lesser Grimm seemed to freeze and all six Master Units froze in place with Weiss balancing on the dragon's head. The lesser Grimm slowly began to evaporate, much to Rose and Penny's surprise.

The explosion caught everyone off guard. Nidhogg burst into millions of black shadows that slowly faded from existence. Weiss herself, caught in the brunt of blast, fell to the ground limply on her stomach, her clothing torn and shredded in places. "Weiss!" Penny shouted as she leapt over and between the five white summons that the heiress controlled, Rose following suit behind her.

"Fear not," Ouroboros said gently. "She lives. We would not still be here if she had perished."

The two Shifters rolled Weiss over and inspected her. She opened her eyes and looked into Penny's. "I have them all," she said with a smile, laughing softly.

Penny smiled back. "Yeah." She nodded, lifting Weiss up into a gentle hug. "Let's go home."

* * *

 _Song: My Immortal - Evanescence_

 **Author's Notes**

Very, very, _very_ delayed chapter, but here it is! What I've been busting ass trying to write. Admittedly, I wrote most of it this morning. I actually haven't been to bed yet. I'm tired!

But, as promised, here's the chapter where we finally fight and kill Nidhogg. The chapter is a little shorter than I expected it would be, but in my defense I've never excelled at writing fighting scenes. Fights are fast paced pieces of action, so it's hard to write a good one as an entire chapter when there isn't much in the way of character drama, such as the Battle for Beacon chapters in the previous two stories, both of which were multiple chapters.

Next chapter is Number 12, and the Epilogue. We're in the home stretch, kids! I'm so excited to finally wrap the _Shifting Remnant AU_ up after 3 1/2 years. _Fuck!_ 3 1/2 YEARS! Why did you guys let me drag this out!?

But seriously, I've had a lot of fun with this. Maybe I can finally focus on _Free_ or some of my _other_ unfinished RWBY fics.

Well...

It's not over _just yet_!

Till Next Time!


	13. Chapter 12: Meadows of Heaven

Chapter 12: Meadows of Heaven

 _True Remnant: Beacon_

 _Garnet_

The students had been calmed down, and life returned to normal in the last few hours at Beacon. Garnet patiently waited in her office, sipping gingerly at her coffee mug with one hand while the other was getting a head start typing away on her computer, Gamma's hard drive was plugged in with source code plastered all over her monitor as she tried to figure out how best to account for the errors that the mechanical girl had experienced. Though she was worried about Penny, Rose, and Weiss, she worked diligently to occupy her mind. The gentle tapping at her office door broke her away from her near meditative state of focus. "Come in," she answered. The door opened, and in stepped Rose and Penny, each of them helping an exhausted and somewhat injured Weiss walk. "Oh my _god_!" Garnet shouted as she leapt up from her seat. "Are you okay?"

Weiss raised a hand, gesturing for the head mistress to remain seated. "Give me a chair," she said to other two women. A moment later, the two of them pulled up a leather arm chair and sat the heiress into it, letting her sink comfortably into it. "Coffee."

Garnet nodded, quickly calling her assistant in the next room to bring Weiss the drink. "What happened?"

"I killed him," Weiss answered sorely. A light chuckle escaped her lips. "I've killed them all." She shook her head, as if trying to wrap her mind around what she had done after so long. "I...I don't know what to do now."

"What do you mean?" Rose asked.

"Killing us has been her only goal ever since she gave up on being saved," Ouroboros whispered as he slithered out from Weiss' shirt. He licked the air in front of her face, studying her expression. "You have a life now, Witch. A _real_ life."

"He's right," Penny said with a smile. "And you stole Crim's spark. You are no longer capable of contracting or suffering from any disease or poison. Not only do you have a life, but one without your hereditary cancer."

Weiss looked up to meet the robotic girl's gaze. "An eternal life?" she asked, fear seeping into her voice. Penny's smile faded.

"Y-yes. You are ageless. Forever seventeen." She knelt before Weiss and placed her hands upon the heiress'. "But, that's not bad. Not all bad, at least. There are others. Thousands of others. They can teach you about the universe. You can hone your true magic and fight to protect innocent lives from great calamities, such as the Longest Night. No one will ever have to face a nightmare such as that ever again."

"You are ageless, Witch," Ouroboros prodded. "But not _deathless_. I can feel it within you. You can be killed."

Weiss smiled again, letting a laugh escape her lips. "Then, Ouroboros, I suppose I'll keep my promise to you."

The snake tilted his head. "Promise?"

"When the two of us first fought Nidhogg together, I promised you that when the time came I would let you kill me. You can have revenge for me enslaving your spirit." She smiled at the snake with a sad, pleading smile. The micro Master Unit stared at her with unblinking serpentine eyes for what felt like an eternity. Penny shifted her weight nervously, Garnet and Rose seemed to be holding their breath, and Weiss just kept smiling.

"No."

"N-no?"

"Once I would have gladly bitten you for what you did, Witch. Once I would have gladly exacted my revenge. The taste of your life fading as my fangs sank deeper and deeper into your flesh was oh so tempting. Once. But not now."

Weiss shook her head as her smile faded. "No. No, please. Please do this for me, Ouroboros."

"Besides," the snake continued as he turned his head towards the other three occupants in the room. "You have family to visit. You have _much_ that needs doing. If you want death, then so be it. But not now, Witch." His tongue flicked, licking at the heiress' cheek in a sort of mock kiss. "You've waited this long. What's a little longer?"

Weiss looked around the room. She saw the looks of fear and concern on all of their faces. The door slowly creaked open as Garnet's assistant quietly entered and set down Weiss' coffee before leaving just as silently. "F-family?" she asked after a moment before a weak smile returned. "So. Tell me about Nox, Garnet."

Garnet smiled a wide, energetic smile that made her look almost exactly like Rupy. "He's a bit uptight, if you ask me. Then again, so is his dad, Stein."

"Stein is still alive?"

"Oh, yeah. He's close to fifty years old now, maybe older and he's been running the Schnee Dust Company for quite some time."

Weiss laughed. "I remember when he was just a little boy. I died before his tenth birthday."

"I'm sure he still remembers you, Weiss," Penny said with a smile.

"So, Nox is all grown up too, is he? And you said he's married and has a child of his own?"

Garnet nodded happily. "Yup! He's married to Kuroi! Her maiden name was Wukong, and she used to be the leader of my team when we went to Beacon together. Team KING. Nox and Kuroi named their little boy Blake after, well, Blake Belladonna. I guess that makes him Blake Wukong the Second?"

"I met her earlier this year," Penny stated. Little Blake is five now."

"My first great-great-grandchild," Weiss whispered before a sense of Panic set in. "What of my son? I...I'm sure he's dead by now, but how...how did he..."

"It wasn't cancer," Penny said reassuringly. "By the time he got to the age where you and your father were diagnosed he got a check up. They found the early signs of it and promptly got rid of it. Cancer treatment has come a long way in the last forty years. He lived a full life. He...he died peacefully in his sleep." She put a hand on the heiress' shoulder. "Your family is healthy, Weiss. And they always will be."

The tears began to flow now, but she gently laughed as well. "Good," she whispered. "That's good to know. They...they won't have to live their last days in pain like I did." She shook her head, wiping away the tears. "Still, to think that my family and Blake's family would become one. I never would have imagined it."

"I'll take you to see them, Weiss," Penny said with a smile.

Hundred of thousands of years worth of pain seemed to melt from her being at the thought. "I would like that. I would like that very much." She looked into Penny's eyes, her expression growing serious. "But first, you need to teach me something."

Penny nodded. "Anything."

"Teach me the Causality spell. There's one last thing that I must do."

* * *

 _Song: Meadows of Heaven - Nightwish_

 **Author's Notes**

The final chapter. The near end of this long drawn out story. I'm so excited to finally be here. If the Epilogue isn't released tonight as well, then it will be in a few days, maybe a week at the longest. With this upcoming Epilogue, I'll finally put a rest to this long, convoluted mess of a story.

On one hand, I'm sorry that I've pulled you, my readers, into this weird fucked up mess of a story as it spilled out of my head these last 3 years. But on the other hand, for those of you who have stuck through it to the very end, I'd like to thank you!

But this isn't the time for goodbyes to the _Shifting Remnant_. Not yet. That's for the Epilogue. So, as always...

Till Next Time!


	14. Epilogue: Returner

Epilogue: Returner

 _True Remnant_

 _Weiss_

Two weeks had passed since Weiss, Penny, and Rose had killed Nidhogg. The heiress was spending that time growing accustomed to her new prospect at life and getting to know the new Remnant; the Remnant that should have always been. In that time she'd acquired new clothes to try and recreate the way she dressed all those years ago when she lived on this Remnant. A pristine white suit with hints of blue on the sleeves and pant legs adorned her petit frame, with a bright blue tie around her neck and black leather shoes on her feet.

She sat in the back seat of a maroon red car, Garnet seated energetically in the driver's seat and Penny in the front passenger seat. "You're sure Rose didn't want to come with us?" Garnet asked.

Penny nodded. "She said that this wasn't any of her business. She's gone home to rest in her house on Earth for a while. She may not have looked it, but traversing the multiverse had been exhausting on her. She also had to summon Darkstar's scythe and use her eyes for a while, which is very draining on her. She'll be back to work within the month, but she felt that coming with us would be an invasion of privacy. It's not her family, after all."

"I don't know what any of that means," Garnet replied. "But, be sure to let her know that she's welcome to visit us here in Vale whenever she wants."

"I'll do that. I'm sure she'll stop by eventually." She turned in her seat to look at Weiss. "How are you holding up back there? Are you nervous?"

Weiss gave her a meek smile. "A little bit. Thank you for coming today. And, again, thank you for coming with me to see Stein the other day."

"You kidding? I just _had_ to see the look on his face when he saw his grandmother again after all these years. Albeit, looking _much_ younger than back then."

The heiress chuckled. "It was nice to see him again. Shame he couldn't come visit Noxus and Kuroi today."

"You changed the Schnee company in a drastic way back then. He's more busy now than you were at the time to keep up with the changes in society. Though, Neo was finally able to break away from the Atlas council for a few days. She should already be waiting for us."

"I haven't seen her in so long. How is she?"

"You wouldn't know by her body, being a Synthetic like me, but she's getting old and tired. She needs a break, just like any other person. Otherwise, she's fine."

"Oh yeah, I forgot that Neo was a Synthetic. Was she built after you?" Garnet asked curiously.

"Before me, actually. Long story. She was, in a weird way, a sort of prototype to the Murakumo program."

"I thought you said only you and Rho-17 were activated."

"Yep."

"But, then that means...oh. _Oh_."

"She doesn't remember that. Keep it that way."

"Yes ma'am," Garnet said quickly.

"And besides, today is for Weiss and her family." She turned to look at the heiress again. "But I have to ask; are you sure? About after?"

Weiss nodded. "Yes. I've made up my mind." Penny's expression grew sad. "Someday, Penny, you'll grow to understand my decision. You may even make it yourself. There is no shame in it."

"I know," Penny nodded.

"Hey, enough brooding," Garnet said. "We're here."

Weiss looked up just in time to see Garnet make a sharp left turn and pull into the driveway of a beautifully built house. Two stories tall, it held a large patio style front porch and an arched roof, complete with a brickwork chimney. It was surrounded on all sides by forest, easily five miles away from the city of Vale. Weiss smiled at the sight. "To think, there's a Schnee living somewhere so _rustic_."

"Ha! I know. You should have known Nox when we were still a part of KING. He was so uptight and full of himself!"

"Sounds like a young girl I used to know," Penny said with a knowing smile. The engine was cut, and Penny and Garnet got out of the car first to go greet their hosts for the next few hours. Garnet started to stop and check on Weiss, but Penny stopped her. "She'll come when she's ready. She's got a lot on her mind. Come on. They're waiting for us." Garnet nodded silently, and the two of them walked up the porch steps and knocked on the door.

Weiss took a deep breath and exhaled, trying to calm her nerves. "I've seen you stare down endless hordes of Grimm," came the familiar, deep, masculine voice of Ouroboros as he slithered out from under her suit jacket. "You've stared deep into the eyes of the Master Units, and killed them all without fear. Yet here you are, scared of a couple of children."

" _One_ child," Weiss corrected. "The rest are all grown up, Ouroboros."

"Hmph. To you, they are but children. Get out. Show me the brave witch that I know you to be."

She smiled. "Once, there would be a time that I'd be terrified of a talking snake living in my shirt." He laughed. "Thank you, Ouroboros. You've been a great companion."

"And here I'd hoped to be called your friend after all this time." The front door to the house opened, and a woman with black hair and a black monkey's tail.

"Call it what you want," she said with a coy smile. "I won't argue with you." She opened the door and stepped out of the vehicle, the snake coiling back into his hiding place as she approached, catching the tail end of the pleasant greetings being exchanged.

"It's so good to see you, Garnet," the woman said with a tender smile. "I hope this is visit is to tell me you're _finally_ getting married."

"Oh, _come on_ , Kuroi! That's just mean!" Garnet retaliated in a mock pout.

"Actually," Penny said as she gestured towards the now approaching Weiss. "We have a _different_ surprise for you."

Weiss stepped onto the porch and met Kuroi's eyes, smiling at her all the while. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you," she said, extending her hand.

Kuroi accepted it and shook it politely. "It's nice to meet you to. Who might you be?"

"My name is Weiss Schnee. I'm here to visit my grandchildren."

Kuroi's jaw dropped as she forgot to let go of the handshake for a moment. She turned to Penny who simply nodded. Without hesitation, she leapt and wrapped her arms around the heiress, who returned the hug in kind. After a moment, Kuroi broke away feeling embarrassed with herself. "I-I'm sorry, but...it's...it's nice to meet you. An honor, even. We...we all grew up hearing about team RWBY and all the great work the four you did back then. It...it truly is an _honor_ to meet you, Ms. Schnee."

Weiss chuckled softly. "The pleasure is all mine, _Mrs._ Schnee. I'm sure Stein has already said this to you, but I'd like to welcome you to the Schnee family."

Kuroi blushed. "Thank you. Weiss has been...I mean, Noxus...he's been a great friend, a wonderful husband, and an even better father. You should be proud of him."

"I've heard a lot about all of you. May I please come in? I'd very much like to meet them."

"P-please! Please, come in!" She turned and held the door open as the three women entered her home. "Honey!" she called through the house. "Honey, we have company!"

A rather refined masculine voice answered back from the next room over with, "Is Garnet finally here? Is she married yet?"

"Not you too!" Garnet called back, and Weiss heard a laugh from the room.

He entered, and Weiss had to hold back a gasp. His hair was a bright shining white, typical of Schnee lineage, and his eyes a matching ice blue to hers. He wore a pair of khaki pants, an untucked blue button up shirt with the sleeves rolled up, and the Schnee crest in the form of a pendant around his neck. "Good to see you, Garnet. You as well Penny, you're looking youthful as ever. And who is...this..." he trailed off as he met Weiss' gaze, freezing in place.

"Honey," Kuroi said. "This is-"

"Weiss," he said suddenly. He smiled and laughed a short, nervous laugh. "It's...it's really _you_! I...I never would have thought that I'd meet my great grandmother."

Weiss smiled at him. "Look at you," she said as she approached him. "Honestly. A Schnee, rolling up his sleeves. What is the world coming to." She circled him once to size him up before standing in front of him. "You're such a handsome young man."

Noxus tried to hide the blush on his face. "Yeah. You're a grandparent, all right."

Weiss laughed before gently hugging him, which he returned in kind. "Kuroi is right. I _am_ proud of you. You're everything I could have ever dreamed of for my descendants." She broke away and stared up at him, for he was several inches taller than she, and smiled. "While I did come to see you and your beautiful wife," Kuroi blushed at that. "And I don't mean to downplay the importance of this visit, but I came to see _him_. I'd like to see my great-great-grandson."

"Absolutely!" Noxus said enthusiastically. "Please, make yourself at home. He's in his room playing with Neo now. I'll go fetch him." With that, he darted up the stairs.

Kuroi approached Weiss tentatively. "Please, make yourself comfortable. If there anything I can get you? Tea? Coffee?"

Weiss thought for a moment before saying, "Coffee, please. Black. If it isn't too much trouble, of course."

"Not at all. Not at all. You two?"

Penny shook her head as she took a seat on a nearby couch. "I'll have coffee, but with cream and lots of sugar," Garnet said with a chipper smile.

Kuroi laughed. "Right. I'll be right back." She strolled into the nearby kitchen just out of sight, leaving the three of them alone.

Garnet took a seat next to Penny and looked around happily. "I've not been here in quite some time. They've redecorated."

"You're getting old," Penny said mockingly.

"How rude! I'm barely thirty!"

"But you act fifteen."

"My students appreciate my youthful innocence!"

The two of them laughed before Penny turned to face the still standing Weiss who was staring at a nearby wall covered in photos. A single tear streaked down her cheek. "Weiss? Are you okay?"

"Look at this," she said with a smile as she pulled one of the photos off of the wall. She stared at it mesmerized. While most of the photos were of her children and their friends and family, this was the only photo she actively recognized. By Penny's count, it had to have been almost eighty years ago by now. In the photograph she saw Ruby, Blake, Yang, Neo, and herself. All of them were in their late twenties or early thirties by this point, and Blake had already had her first child. The photo was taken in Junior's club, closed to the public on this particular day so that team RWBY and their friends could celebrate their lives together and take a break from life. Yang was thin due to her disability, but she smiled the widest out of all them as she stood behind the bar, pouring various drinks for all of them to toast with. Blake was looking off to the side with a stern look on her face; if Weiss remembered correctly, her son, Noir, was getting into some trouble of sorts out of frame of the camera and she was chastising him right as the shutter snapped. Weiss could still here Sun in the background saying "Noir, listen to your mother!" The boy must have been about seven or eight by that point. Ruby herself wasn't wearing her signature red cloak. She was an instructor at Beacon, and was still in her red suit and tie from having just come off of work probably an hour prior. She was pointing at Weiss' left hand with a stunned expression on her face, coupled with a wide and happy smile. Neo was also eyeballing Weiss' left hand, seemingly studying it curiously. Weiss herself was holding up her left hand, a silver ring with a sapphire stone set into it on display on her third finger; this photo was taken about a week after Neptune had proposed to her.

Weiss wiped the tears away from her face. "It's so hard to believe that _this_ was a real day in my life. Like the one good dream in a sleep full of nightmares. I'd nearly forgotten." She returned the photo to its proper place on the wall just as Noxus returned down the stairs with a small child in tow, and Neo behind the both of them.

"There she is," Noxus said to the boy. "Go on. Go say hi to her."

The boy bashfully approached Weiss and stared up at her, forcing her to smile even more as she knelt down to his level. "Hello. You must be Blake."

The boy nodded.

"Do you know who I am?"

He nodded again. "Daddy says that you're my great-great-grandmother, Weiss."

She chuckled. "That's right, sweetie."

"I thought you were an angel," he said bluntly with a hint of confusion.

She laughed even harder now. "Yes. Yes I am. I'm just like Penny over there. I'm not just any angel; I'm a _guardian angel_."

"Is that why everyone thinks you're gone?"

"Yes. I've been away for a long time, working very hard to keep you safe from dangerous monsters. I haven't been able to come back, but today is a special day. I was able to come here just so I could see _you_ , little Blake."

"Just to see _me_!?" his eyes lit up, and any shyness he had melted away.

"That's right. I could only come for one day, so I wanted to make the most of it before I go back to working hard to protect you." She turned to Noxus and smiled a somewhat sad smile. "I hope that its not too much trouble."

It took him a moment before he caught her meaning. "N-no. Not at all. We'd be happy to have you as a guest for the day."

Kuroi returned with two mugs of coffee, giving them to Weiss and Garnet respectively. "I'd be happy to make a special dinner for all of you if that's okay."

"That would be lovely," Weiss agreed as she stood to accept the coffee, sipping at it happily. "I came to play with you Blake, so let's go play, okay?"

"Yeah!" Blake cheered as he led Weiss upstairs to his room.

Weiss paused as she passed Neo to give the shorter woman a brief hug. "It's good to see you, Neo."

"You too, Weiss," she replied, releasing the hug and watching Weiss and Blake go upstairs. She turned to Penny and Garnet just as they got out of earshot. "She's not staying, is she?" Penny and Garnet couldn't meet Neo's eyes, which was all the answer that she needed. "I see."

"She's been dying and reliving that hellish calamity for so long, Neo," Penny said after a time. "None of us have the right to tell her what to do now that she's free."

Noxus and Kuroi froze in silence as they put together the context. "O-oh," Kuroi said.

"Then we'll just have to make this a day to remember, won't we?" Noxus said with a sad smile.

"It's not fair," Garnet said with a frown.

"What happened to her wasn't fair," Penny pointed out. "What she wants now is just...natural."

* * *

Several hours passed, a magnificent home cooked dinner was served by the Schnee household, and Weiss allowed Noxus and Kuroi to take some photos to add to the wall. She played with Blake until he fell asleep some time after night had fallen. The four guests were now seated on the front porch patio, each sipping at a glass of wine, say for Penny and Neo.

"This was nice," Weiss said after a moment where the conversation had died down. "I'm glad I did this."

"So are we," Kuroi added with a faint smile. "We...we'd love it if you could stay."

Weiss nodded with a smile. "I'm sure it would be nice," she said sadly. "But, I've been here for too long already. It's time I do what needs to be done." She downed the rest of her wine and stood up. "Thank you for having me in your house. It's beautiful here. I can see why you chose this place to raise your family."

"Thank you," Noxus said, standing up to match Weiss. "Thank you for everything. Thank you for visiting. Thank you for all that you've done with the Schnee Dust Company. Thank you for giving our son another hero to look up to. Just...thank you."

Weiss approached him and gave him the gentlest of hugs. "You're a good man, Noxus." She broke away with a small chuckle. "Though, Garnet tells me that you prefer your middle name. _Weiss_."

He blushed. "I...I grew up hearing about all the things that you and the rest of team RWBY did. I...I thought it'd make me more like you if I went by my middle name."

"Be your own man, Noxus. You've done just fine so far. I'm sure you'll continue to succeed."

"Someday, hopefully not soon, I'll take over the company. I'll be sure to uphold everything that you stood for during your tenure as head of the company."

Nodding, she turned to Kuroi and gave her a hug as well. Breaking away, she brushed a bit of the faunus girl's hair out of her face. "You're the spitting image of Blake, you know. But you have a tail instead of ears."

She laughed, though there was a hint of sadness. "Thank you."

Weiss gave the girl a small kiss on the cheek. "Take care of your boy. _Both_ of them," she said, gesturing towards Noxus. She turned on her heel and stepped off of the porch.

"Weiss!" Garnet yelled. "Are...are you sure about this?"

She paused. "Yes. It's...it's all I want now. I'm tired, Garnet. So very, very tired. I need to rest. Thank you all for saving me. Thank you, Penny, for everything. For never giving up on me. I'm sorry I can't return the favor."

"It's okay," Penny said. "How long should I wait?"

"Thirty minutes at best. I'll be waiting."

"I'll take care of everything.

"Thank you." Weiss closed her eyes and concentrated, just as Penny had taught her. She pictured it vividly in her mind; the cliff where she and the rest of team RWBY arranged to be buried side by side in the event of their deaths. There it was, solid as reality in her mind. And she stepped forward, the popping sound of space tearing asunder around her accosting her ears, the sensation of the heatless rainbow flames that licked around her for just a moment before dying away. She could feel the wind coming up the valley below her, and she opened her eyes to see that she'd arrived.

There, sitting before her, were five gravestones. Summer's was beginning to fade, but the other four were as plain as ever.

Ruby Rose

October 31, 4322-August 7, 4422

Weiss Schnee

April 26, 4320-June 1, 4398

Blake Beladonna

July 7, 4320-January 12, 4400

Yang Xiao Long

February 14, 4320-May 5, 4415

She smiled at the sight of the stones. "Hello again," she said as a tear slid down her left cheek. "Did you three miss me? Don't worry. I'll be there in just a moment."

"You have one final task," Ouroboros said, sliding out of his hiding hole. "You're sure about this as well? What of the Law of No Interference that Penny told us about?"

"I don't work for her organization. The worst they can do is kill me for breaking their stupid law."

"Hm. That's fair. Proceed then. Who first? Me?"

"No," Weiss said quietly. "You'll be last. You're the only one I like." She concentrated and summoned the other five Master Units, though she purposely made them about the same size as Ouroboros in his smaller form.

"What now, woman?" Cerberus asked, looking up at her from the ground. Weiss laughed, thinking that the small Grimm looked like a three headed puppy now.

Without answering, Weiss began chanting the spell that Penny had taught her over the last two weeks. Magical holograms formed around each of her summoned beasts, and she tugged at a single piece of the incantation.

"∞ = ∞"

Reaching deep within herself, she mustered up the strength to alter the fabric of reality, and changed five out of the six to match her wishes.

"∞ = 0"

Almost immediatly, Cerberus, Nidhogg, Callisto, Calydonian, and Scorpius began to dissolve into blue pigments of light, the wind picking them up letting them drift over the valley. "Now, no other version of Remnant will ever worry about the Master Units. I've erased you all from existence everywhere."

Ouroboros, the only one not dissolving, looked at his own incantation, waiting for it to change. After the other four had already dissolved, it finally changed and he felt himself fading. "To make it so that you're the only one to destroy us," he said. "That's awful greedy of you, Witch."

She smiled. "You think so?"

"I know so. Out of all of humanity, there needed to be one of you to become a Master Unit to rival the Grimm. I believe that to be you. Weiss, you're the _seventh_ Master Unit."

She smiled, laughing a bit at the sound of the snake using her real name. "All the more reason to end this now. No more Master Units."

"Thank you, Weiss." With that, the snake faded from existence, never to be seen here, or on any other Remnant, ever again.

Weiss nodded. She knelt before her own grave and stared at it for a moment. "This is where it was supposed to end," she said aloud. Using magic, she summoned Myrtenaster from a pocket of empty space that she had created for herself. "So here is where it shall _truly_ end." Putting the tip to her right wrist, she pierced herself as deep as she could, nearly going through to the other side as blood began to gush from the wound. Carefully, she swapped hands and pierced her left wrist to the same degree before throwing the sword to the side. Laying on her back, her head pointed at her own headstone, she smiled to herself. "Finally," she whispered. "I can finally rest." Her eyes grew heavy from the blood loss, and she relented and let herself close her eyes.

But, to her at least, she never lost consciousness. Even the other times that she died only to reawaken, she knew that there was a gap of nothingness in between. She expected to fade and to never feel again, but instead all that she noticed was that the pain in her wrists was gone. "W-what?" she asked aloud.

"Ah," an elderly woman's voice chimed. "You've arrived. I've been waiting for you." Weiss opened her eyes and found herself sitting in a metal chair in the middle of a rose garden. Before her sat a small outdoor table and an old woman wearing a long black dress and a unique red cloak that she knew only one other person had ever worn. The woman had a plate of cookies sitting on the table, and she sipped gingerly at a small teacup. "You're not usually late, Weiss."

"R-Ruby? Ruby is that you?"

The old woman chuckled softly. "Yes. How is my BFF doing this fine evening?"

Weiss nearly leapt over the table as she hugged the elder Ruby Rose, tears streaming full force down her face. "I've missed you! I've missed you so much! I...I never thought I'd see _this_ you ever again!"

Ruby returned the hug. "I know, I know. I've been waiting here all this time, knowing that someday you'd come." She broke the hug first and look deep into Weiss' eyes. Though this Ruby was the old woman who died on this version of Remnant, she still held those amazing silver eyes that captivated all who looked into them. "Come. The others are waiting as well."

* * *

Thirty minutes. That's what Weiss had said. Penny came exactly thirty minutes after the heiress had left, and she tried her best not to cry at the sight of Weiss. Stained in blood and lifeless, the white haired woman lay cold on the ground. But it wasn't all that bad, Penny had to realize.

After all.

Weiss was smiling.

 **THE END**

* * *

 _Song: Returner (The End of Darkness) - Gackt_

 **Author's Notes**

Phew! I'm finally done! This less than stellar story took me two damn years to write, a total of three and a half for the entire trilogy! I know it took one hell of a dive in quality, and I'm sorry for that. It was all downhill from _The Longest Night_ , but I'm still happy with this outcome. Yeah, I wish it could have been written better, I wish I could have had a better idea on where to take it, but even as I look back on it I can't think of anything I'd have done different, shy of not doing it at all. And that's just silly. You know me. I had to do it. I couldn't say no to this trilogy.

I don't regret it. I don't regret it at all. I had fun. It's been stressful at times, but it really was fun. But, with the _Shifting Remnant Trilogy_ finally done, I'll try to focus and finish writing _Free_. Maybe I'll go back to writing some shipfics when I have the time. Weiss/Yang stories seem pretty hot these days (no pun intended). I might do one of those. Who knows.

As always, let me know your final thoughts and feelings about this final chapter in a review or PM. Don't hold back. If you hated it, let me know. I'd like to avoid making similar mistakes in the future. If you loved it, let me know what I did right. Thank you all for sticking with this story for so long. I truly am sorry.

And, of course...

Till Next Time!


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